Borobudur Not to be Taken Off UNESCO's List

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Borobudur Not to be Taken Off UNESCO's List

Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has denied the allegation that the ancient Borobudur Temple in Central Java is to be scrapped from UNESO's world cultural heritages list.

"There has been no statement from UNESCO. Neither has there been a threat to scrap Borobudur from their cultural heritage list," I Gde Pitana, acting Director General of Historical and Archaelogical Affairs at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, said here on Friday.

On the contrary, he said, the ministry had about a month ago received an official letter from UNESCO expressing the UN agency's appreciation for the Indonesian government's and people's quick response in cleaning up volcanic ashes that had fallen on the Buddhist shrine during a Mount Merapi eruption some time ago.

It was previously reported the world famous monument might be omitted from UNESCO's cultural heritages list because the Indonesian government and people were considered as not properly maintaining it.

According to the reports, the temple had become dirty, was in a state of neglect and still covered in Mt. Merapi volcanic material.

"I need to make it plain the talk about Borobudur going to ba scrapped by UNESCO is unfounded, Borobudur is still recognized as a world cultural heritage," he said.

UNESCO included Borobudur in its world cultural heritage list in 1991 recognizing it as as an ingenious master work of human creativity. The temple is believed to have been built over a period of 75 years and completed in 625 AD when Java was ruled by the Samaratungga dynasty.(Center for Public Communication*)

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