Gov’t Gives Up Part of Prehistoric Cave Painting Site For Mining

via Khaosod English, 05 March 2020: The recent delisting of an archaeological site in Southern Thailand in favour of a mining concession has sparked an online furore. The site was delisted under the previous Director-General of the Fine Arts Department, but has only come to light recently. The original post in Facebook is in Thai.

An archaeological site in southern Thailand could be demolished to make way for a commercial mining operation, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The revelation prompted angry netizens to demand answers from the Fine Arts Department, who authorized the Yala landmark’s special status to be withdrawn. An art enthusiast who broke the news said officials should value the painting, which is believed to date back at least 1,000 years.

“This is not an acceptable reason,” Pasinee Pramunwong, who runs Facebook page Artteller, said in an interview. “Many researches suggested that the paintings may be about 1,000 years old. Some even suggested that they could be dated back to the prehistoric era.”

She added, “I’m shocked to see why our government gave up this cultural significance so easily.”

The 190 rai (30.4 hectares) area was previously designated as an archaeological site until a recent announcement published in the Royal Government Gazette withdrew its protection status and permitted mining operations to take place there.

Source: Gov’t Gives Up Part of Prehistoric Cave Painting Site For Mining