The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has been working with relevant agencies to get the Tham Luang Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park designated as a national and historical park and, eventually, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tham Luang Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park is located near Pong Pha village, close to the border town of Mae Sai. The forest park became the focus of global media attention in 2018 when a massive rescue operation, involving rescue teams from many countries, was launched to extract 12 members of the Wild Boar football team and their coach trapped in the flooded cave without food for nine days.

After three years of closure, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the park reopened to the public in mid-October. About 1,000 tourists visit the park each weekday, particularly the Tham Luang cave complex, and about 2,000 during weekends.

20 million baht was allocated in the 2022 fiscal year for infrastructure development at the forest park, including the construction of a tourist service centre, toilets and other facilities.

Ratchada Suriyakul Na Ayutthaya, the department’s director-general, presided over a religious ceremony at the entrance of Tham Luang cave yesterday (Saturday), to seek blessings from the guardian spirit.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Wild Boar football team, local residents and tourists.

The national park, which is yet to be set up, covers an area of 1,920 hectares, mostly forest, in four sub-districts of Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province.