Thailand’s MNRE ready to support Death Railway World Heritage bid
Athapol says any proposal to seek World Heritage status for the Death Railway in Kanchanaburi would require joint consideration and surveys.
- Thailand's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) has officially stated it is ready to support the proposal to list the Death Railway as a World Heritage site.
- The MNRE's involvement is necessary because the railway route passes through national park and conservation forest areas under its jurisdiction, making it a joint effort with the Ministry of Culture.
- As a condition of its support, the MNRE will participate in a joint area survey to define the exact route to be listed and to produce a map for the proposal.
- An MNRE official confirmed the belief that the Death Railway has the required historical evidence and significance to successfully qualify for the listing.
Athapol Charoenshunsa, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), addressed calls for the Ministry of Culture to consider proposing the Death Railway route in Kanchanaburi, a World War-era historical area in Thailand, for World Heritage listing to promote tourism in the country’s western region.
He said consideration of the matter was a joint responsibility of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment because the Death Railway route in Kanchanaburi lies within a national park area.
The Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also serves as the secretariat to the World Heritage Committee.
Therefore, once the proposal is submitted to the Ministry of Culture, the ministry may convene a meeting for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to give its views and discuss the principles together, or set up a subcommittee to consider it.
“The idea of proposing the Death Railway as a World Heritage Site is a welcome one because the Death Railway lies in a conservation forest area and connects with Sai Yok National Park, Thong Pha Phum National Park and on to Sangkhla Buri.
If it is elevated to World Heritage status, the benefits will be shared.
Therefore, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is ready to support the process and provide further views, but a joint area survey must be carried out to define the route to be listed and examine the significance of each area so that a map can be produced,” Athapol said.
The department’s director-general also said that, under the World Heritage registration process, once a proposal is submitted to the World Heritage Committee, the committee would consider placing it on the World Heritage Tentative List to await its turn.
After that, the relevant agencies must prepare a report explaining its significance, as well as management plans and measures for looking after the area and communities, before submitting it to the World Heritage Committee again.
He confirmed that the Death Railway route has the elements in place, with clear historical evidence and stories that make it of interest.
