Phu Phra Bat Park chosen for Unesco Heritage list
THE NATIONAL Legislative Assembly yesterday approved the Culture Ministry's proposal to nominate Udon Thani's Phu Phra Bat Park as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
“Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha asked me what the benefits were for the historical park to be granted World Heritage Site status,” Culture Minister Veera Rojpojanarat told reporters. “It will definitely benefit the country, because not only will it make us proud of our nation, we will also earn respect from other nations. Also it will boost tourism and increase the earnings of locals.
“Plus, if there is a natural disaster, we will get funding from Unesco to restore the area, as we did when the Ayutthaya historical park was flooded,” he said.
Situated in Ban Phue district, the park features ruins and objects dating back to prehistoric times as well as to the Dvaravati, Lopburi, and Lan Xang periods.
The Culture Ministry will submit the nomination to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s World Heritage head office in Paris on Sunday, before preparing for the final presentation on December 1. Unesco will announce its decision on June 1 next year.
The Culture Ministry will also add the 700-year-old town of Chiang Mai to the “tentative list” for Unesco’s World Heritage Site status.
The capital of the Lanna empire offers art and culture and is filled with historical architecture.
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