Siamese Heritage Protection Program
To Commemorate the 84th Royal Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej Patron of The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage
To commemorate the 84th Royal Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Patron of the Siam Society and protector of fine arts and cultural heritage of Thailand, the Council of the Society approved the establishment of a new program, Siamese Heritage Protection Program, or โครงการพิทักษ์มรดกสยาม in Thai. Through a series of public events, associated lectures, tours, and media opinion pieces, the Program will highlight issues and problems in the management of the cultural heritage of Thailand, both tangible and intangible, with the aim of contributing to heritage conservation, generating ideas on how heritage management can be improved, and raising the visibility of cultural heritage management as a national issue of general public interest.
A strong public interest in proper management of Thailand’s cultural heritage assets exists, but no professionally competent organizations representing that public interest monitor how the government and other stakeholders discharge their heritage stewardship responsibilities. Regrettably, Thailand’s cultural heritage often faces threats from neglect, lack of funding, commercial encroachment, and poor management. Through this Program, the Siam Society aims to fill that gap and stimulate public interest in and discussion of cultural heritage management.
Aims/Scope
1. On behalf of the general public, develop the capacity for the Society to monitor how the government and other stakeholders fulfil their responsibilities as stewards of the nation’s cultural heritage, and for the Society to become known as an independent repository of knowledge and expertise in heritage management and preservation.
2. Provide a forum for the major cultural heritage stakeholders to explain how they are fulfilling their stewardship, and for the public to be informed of and to comment on policies and plans for cultural heritage preservation.
3. Identify and publicize threats to the proper conservation of the nation’s cultural heritage, and take appropriate action or protest to counter or mitigate those threats.
Activities
In the first phase, the Program will feature six half-day public events, conducted on the premises of the Society at two--months intervals. Each event will be in the form of a panel discussion in Thai language, discussing a major issue in Thai cultural heritage management. The panellists will be chosen from among stakeholders with an interest in the topic to be discussed, representing government, NGO, academia, and international organizations, including members of the Siam Society. Panellists will espouse different points of view on the often controversial issues. Each event will generally be accompanied by one or more related tours or lectures, in both English and Thai languages.