Culture ministry team to help Nepal restore historic sites
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The Culture Ministry will dispatch a team of experts to help determine the damage to historical and world heritage sites affected by the earthquake in Nepal.
Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat yesterday said he had assigned Department of Fine Arts chief Bowornwet Rungrujee to set up a team of archaeologists, |architects, engineers, conservation scientists, and |art historians.
Vira said the team would also support the |conservation and restoration plan, which will |take place after homes and roads are restored |and victims have recovered.
He said team would initially gather information through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before Cabinet considers their next move.
The damaged sites includes Durbar Square, Boudhanath Stupa, and Dharahara Tower in Kathmandu, as well as ancient Hindi religious places in Bhaktapur and Patan, which are important tourism attractions.
Meanwhile, the family, relatives and friends of 29-year-old Thai-American assistant physician Marisa Eve Girawongkraison, who died during the quake, gathered for a religious ritual at Bangkok’s Wat Theplila yesterday after the transporting of her |body to Thailand on Friday night.
Her father Arkhom Girawongkraison told reporters he was proud of Marisa for achieving her dream of working in emergency medicine and aiding others at high altitude.
He thanked people for giving the family support and setting up Facebook pages devoted to her.
Arkhom said his family and friends had set up a fund to raise money for the victims of the quake. The money will be given to the Thai Red Cross.
Marisa’s Christian funeral will be held at Bangkok’s Holy Redeemer Church on Wednesday and Thursday before the Buddhist ritual of Abhidhamma prayers and her cremation at Wat Chan Kaewfa on Saturday.
