On 25 July 2026, Mr. Chettaphan Maksamphan, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, joined the Thai delegation at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, the Republic of Korea. H.E. Mr. Suchart Chomklin, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, led the Thai delegation.

The World Heritage Committee decided to inscribe Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, is the first World Heritage Site in Southern Thailand. Its inscription will further strengthen cooperation at both the national and local levels in the conservation, protection and sustainable management of the World Heritage Site, as well as the safeguarding and continued transmission of the intangible cultural heritage associated with the site.

With this inscription, Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat marks Thailand’s ninth World Heritage Site. The eight previously inscribed World Heritage Sites of Thailand are: (1) Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns (2) Historic City of Ayutthaya (3) Thungyai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries (4) Ban Chiang Archaeological Site (5) Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex (6) Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex (7) The Ancient Town of Si Thep and its Associated Dvaravati Monuments and (8) Phu Phrabat, a testimony to the Sīma stone tradition of the Dvaravati period.