SEAMEO SPAFA CONVEYS ITS CONDOLENCES to the family and friends of former SPAFA Governing Board Member of Lao PDR, Dr Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy.
Dr Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy was previously the Director-General at the Department of Heritage, Ministry of Information and Culture, Lao PDR, and he served as SPAFA Governing Board Member of Lao PDR for five terms: 14 September 1992 to 13 September 1995; 11 December 1998 to 10 December 2001; 20 February 2002 to 19 February 2005; 20 February 2005 to 19 February 2008; and 2 June 2008 to 1 June 2011.
Dr Thongsa was responsible for the Law on Lao National Heritage, a Decree on Heritage Management in Laos and legislation on cultural heritage in Laos, and his efforts contributed to the inscription of Lao PDR’s three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Luang Prabang, Vat Phou Champasack and the Plain of Jars in Xieng Khouang province.
At an international level, Dr Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy was integral in ensuring that Laos is a signatory to the UNESCO Convention on World Cultural Heritage and the Convention on Cultural Diversity and Expression. Considered to be the ‘The Man Behind World Heritage in Laos’, his legacy will live on.
Rest in Peace, Dr Thongsa Sayavongkhamdy
