Bangkok: UNESCO has honored three Thai heritages: ‘Thai Kham Luang Book – Phra Chao Chang Phueak – ASEAN Documents’ as Memory of the World Heritage in 2025, reinforcing the important role of the Thai nation in world history.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Sasikarn Wattanachan, Deputy Government Spokesperson, revealed good news from the Fine Arts Department that UNESCO has announced that three important documents from Thailand have been registered as ‘Memory of the World’ for the year 2025. The documents include:
Item 1: Thai manuscript document Nanthopananthasut Kamlaung, a valuable ancient Thai document. It is Buddhist literature composed by Prince Thammathibet Chaiyachet Suriyawong (Prince Kung) in 1736, kept at the National Library, Fine Arts Department.
Item 2: The film “The King of the White Elephant” and its archival documents. The film is preserved at the Film Archive (Public Organization), and the archival documents are stored at the Thai Studies Institute, Thammasat University.
Item 3: Documents on the establishment of the ASEAN Community, which include archives about the formation of ASEAN from 1967 to 1976. These documents are kept at the Film Archive (Public Organization), and Thailand has proposed them for registration together with Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Currently, Thailand has nine documents registered as World Heritage Memory. These include the Wat Pho Inscription, King Ramkhamhaeng’s Stone Inscription, archival documents of King Chulalongkorn’s reform of Siam’s administration from 1868 to 1910, glass films, original photographs from the Vajiranana Library, minutes of the Siam Society Committee under Royal Patronage, and the palm leaf manuscript on the legend of the Urankathatha.
“This announcement of the Memory of the World Heritage reflects the importance of Thai literature, Buddhism, and arts and culture, which have truly benefited humanity. We should help preserve and pass them on to continue to exist. Those interested can view a list of Thailand’s Memory of the World Heritage documents at https://www.nat.go.th/mow/th-th,” said Ms. Sasikarn.