Three Thai documentary heritage items were recently added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, joining 74 other new entries from around the globe announced earlier this year.
With these latest additions, the total number of recognized documentary collections worldwide has reached 570, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Launched in 1992, the Memory of the World programme is dedicated to preserving and improving access to documentary heritage of global significance.
Often vulnerable to damage, these records offer valuable insights into the cultural, political, and historical evolution of societies, UNESCO explains.
Among the newest entries are three submissions from Thailand.
The first is an archive titled “The Birth of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).”
Jointly submitted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, this archive documents the formation of ASEAN between 1967 and 1976, according to UNESCO.
The collection includes the original 1967 ASEAN Declaration, along with written records, photographs, films, audio recordings, and oral history interviews.
These documents highlight ASEAN’s goal of transforming the region from a zone of conflict into one of peace and cooperation.
They also serve as a key reference for the diplomatic practices later known as the “ASEAN way.”
The second item is the “Manuscript of Nanthopananthasut Kamlaung,” an 18th-century work written on 190 pages of khoi paper.
It features translated and embellished Buddhist literature that tells the story of the Buddha taming Nanthopanantha-naga, a mythical serpent being.
Now digitally transcribed and published, the manuscript continues to inspire scholars and is revered in Buddhist communities worldwide for its messages of compassion and peace, UNESCO notes.
The final entry is a 1940 Thai feature film titled “The King of the White Elephant.”
This black-and-white English-language film was produced to promote peace at the onset of World War II.
It remains the only surviving Thai film from the pre-war period and is noted for its fusion of traditional Thai performance with Western cinematic techniques, offering a rare glimpse into early 20th-century Thai filmmaking and diplomacy.
