On Wednesday, the national committee overseeing the World Heritage Convention nominated four historic town clusters in the southern province of Songkhla for inclusion in UNESCO’s tentative list of potential new world heritage sites.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, who chaired the committee meeting, announced that these clusters are connected to communities and landmarks around Songkhla Lake.
Pol Gen Phatcharavat described the first cluster as comprising the old towns of Phang Yang, Phakho, and Si Yang. He then detailed the second cluster, which includes the old town of Sathing Phra.
He went on to explain that the third cluster consists of the old towns of Pom Khai Singkora and Laem Son, while the fourth includes the old towns of Songkhla and Bo Yang.
He mentioned that these historical towns are spread across the districts of Muang, Ranot, Sathing Phra, and Singha Nakhon.
Pol Gen Phatcharavat stated that the committee intends to forward the nomination proposal to the cabinet and later to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, hoping for its evaluation during the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee, set for July 21-31 in New Delhi.
Furthermore, the committee recognized a report on a preliminary nomination for Phu Phra Bat Historical Park in Ban Phue district, Udon Thani, in the northeast, indicating it could soon be added to UNESCO’s tentative list.
The committee has instructed both the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning and the Fine Arts Department to accelerate the necessary collaborative work for a nomination proposal.
This proposal seeks to have the entire province of Nan recognized as a new World Heritage site, following a recommendation by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
