CONCERN IS mounting over the safety of tourists at Pha Taem National Park in Ubon Ratchathani following the rockslide in December at a nearby spot, which could possibly lead to a visitor ban in the area.

The park features famous prehistoric cliff paintings that have been noted on the Fine Arts Department’s list of historical sites since 1968.

Tawsaporn Nuchanong, acting director-general of the Mineral Resources Department, said yesterday that for the sake of tourists and to prevent possible damage to the area, outsiders may be barred from visiting the site.

The site needs thorough inspection by geologists and geo-hazard experts, he said.

The survey of the damage caused by the rockslide requires about two weeks.

The rockslide at Pha Krathang took place on December 24.

A team of geologists was sent to survey the site on January 26 and found different kinds of cracks at Pha Taem that may cause a similar rockslide.

“Therefore, we may recommend that tourists be prevented from going to the site for their own safety and because of possible further damage,” he said.

Monitoring and preventive measures were needed at the area, he said.

Rocks at the accident scene and at Pha Taem have the same characteristic of being not so solid.

They could be weakened by rainwater and weather and collapse, so there is a possibility that Pha Taem may encounter the same problems.

Erosion of shale layer

Tawsaporn was speaking after travelling to Pha Taem National Park in Khong Chiam district to inspect the damage from the rockslide.

The rockslide that was possibly triggered by rocks with different weights created a cave of about 10 by 25 metres.

Nakarin Sutato, chief park warden, said his officials back in October detected erosion of the shale layer at the area where the prehistoric paintings were.

They also found old and new fissures there so they alerted officials from the Mineral Resources Department to inspect the site out of fear that an accident could have a serious impact on tourism.

On December 24, he was alerted by a village headman about the rockslide at Pha Krathang.

A warning sign about falling rocks has been posted at the site.

Ubon Ratchathani Governor Somsak Jangtrakul dismissed earlier reports that the prehistoric paintings were damaged by rockslides, saying they were still intact and were not impacted by the incident.

He urged concerned authorities to meet and find ways to prevent such incidents in future.

The paintings are the main tourist attraction at the park, which covers about 340 square kilometres over three districts.

With more than 300 prehistoric paintings, originally spread along a 180-metre stretch of the cliff, it is the largest rock art collection in Thailand.

Mural subjects dating back 3,000-4,000 years, include elephants, ox, dog, turtle and giant Mekongcatfish. The paintings depicted the daily life and also some special rites in prehistoric times.

The monochrome paintings used red colour red from red sandstone, which are plentiful in the land of sandstone mountains in the northeastern part of Thailand.

The displays include drawings, paintings, stencilling, paint splattering, imprinting and scraping with hard objects. Pha Taem is considered one of the world’s oldest agrarian communities, which makes Ubon Ratchathani the cradle of Northeastern civilisation.