The Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinates with Afghanistan to delay the destruction of Mes Aynak

 

UNESCO is discussing to establish it as the World Heritage.
The meeting of the Committee of Religion, Art, and Culture of the House of Representatives of Thailand which Mr. Sansak Charoon Ngampichet, a party list mp from Palungchon party, was the meeting president, discussed about how to delay of the destruction of the ancient Buddhist city “Mes Aynak” in Afghanistan after the World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth (WFBY) had sent the Letter of Disagreement to the United Nations in Thailand on November 13th, 2012.

 

Mr. Pornchai Pinyapong, the consultant of the President of the Committee, informed that the ancient Buddhist city “Mes Aynak” is located about 40 kilometers far away from Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan and was an stopover on the Silk Road about 2,300 years ago.  Now the Afghanistan government gives a concession to China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MMC) to mine copper although many archeologists and conservatives asked them to delay the destruction of Mes Aynak and allow UNESCO to keep and protect it as the World Heritage.

 

Mr. Chairat Siriwat, the Director of Central Asia Group, Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the department had asked UNESCO in Thailand and they replied that MMC would delay the mining plan and the World Bank is coordinating with UNESCO to estimate the possible environmental effects and send their staffs to survey because they want to preserve this area.

 

“UNESCO proposed the Afghanistan Government to preserve antiques and move them to keep in other places, dig and move the ancient buildings to establish in the suitable places for presenting in the museum later.” Mr. Chairat said.

 

 

Translated by Chadawee Chaipooripat