A crucial meeting was held at Nakhon Si Thammarat town hall, Wednesday (September 26), to discuss details of the nomination to be submitted to the World Heritage secretariat in Paris.
The meeting was attended by high-ranking officials from the province, the Fine Arts Department and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
The province’s governor, Viroj Jiwarangsan, said an application to have Wat Phrathat or Phra Mahathat Woramahawiharn listed as a World Heritage Site was accepted at the preliminary stage after which a nomination dossier will be required for the World Heritage Committee to make a final decision.
“Experts from the International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to the World Heritage Committee, will make an unannounced field trip to Wat Phrathat before making a recommendation on whether it should be included in the World Heritage List.”
A decision on Wat Phrathat is expected to be announced at the 37th World Heritage conference in Cambodia on 17 to 27 June in 2013. The 700-year-old Phra Mahathat Woramahawiharn has been selected for its outstanding value in Southeast Asia.
Thailand has five world heritage sites — three in the cultural category and two in nature categories. They are:
Culture:
Historic town of Sukhothai and associated historic towns (1991); historic city of Ayutthaya (1991); and Ban Chiang Archaeological site (1992);
Nature:
Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries (1991); and Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex (2005).