Thai massage proposed for UNESCO heritage list

BANGKOK, April 30 (TNA) - Thailand submits proposal for Thai massage to be added on the UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage List. The Culture Promotion Department submitted Thailand’s proposal to the Secretariat of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for Thai massage to be considered for inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage List, said Cultural Minister, Veera Rojpojnarat. The proposal submission is in the timeframe before the consideration of the UNESCO intergovernmental committee in 2019. Meanwhile, the minister said that Thai Khon mask dance is now under consideration for the inclusion in the Intangible Cultural Heritage List and the result will be known in December this year. He added that Thailand will also support Korea’s International Mask Arts and Culture Organization (IMACO) to propose through Korean government the joint listing of “mask culture” of Korea’s mask dance drama of Hahoe and Thailand’s Phi Ta Khon (ghost festival) mask as the world cultural heritage. If it is successful, it could lead to cultural cooperation between the two countries to hold the reginal festival for the promotion of the mask culture. (TNA)