Bangkok (Thailand) – December 12, 2014 – Thailand and Japan recently signed an agreement to establish a museum partnership between the Sirindhorn Dinosaur Museum in Thailand and the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum in Japan.

The agreement came about after the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum borrowed fossil samples from the Sirindhorn Dinosaur Museum to display in the special "Dinosaur Excavation" exhibition as part of the 25th anniversary of the Fukui Dinosaur Excavation Project, which ran from July 12, 2013 to October 14, 2014 at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.

The agreement was signed on November 25th of this year in a formal ceremony chaired by Mr. Supoj Jermsawatdipong, Director-General of the Thai Ministry of Mineral Resources, and Mr. Issei Nishikawa, Governor of Fukui Prefecture. The agreement was signed by Mr. Nimitr Sornklang, Director of the District 2 (Khon Kaen, Thailand) Mineral Resources Bureau, and Dr. Yoichi Axuma, Director of the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. Representatives of the Thai Ministry of Mineral Resources and the Japanese Fukui Prefecture attended the ceremony.

As part of the agreement, both museums have decided to enter into a museum partnership that will facilitate the mutual exchange of expertise and experience in the development and management of dinosaur museums. Both institutions will also collaborate in the areas of research and teaching in geology and paleontology, the preservation of fossils as reference materials, and geological tourism.

The Sirindhorn Museum is Thailand's first dinosaur fossil museum. It was founded in 1995 following the discovery of dinosaur fossils at Wat Sakkawan in the Sahatsakhan district of Kalasin. According to the Thai Ministry of Mineral Resources, the fossils found here are of great importance for research and study and can serve as internationally recognized references, as they represent new species and subspecies.

The museum consists of three main parts: the Dinosaur Fossil Site Museum, the Fossil Storage and Research Building, and the permanent museum building. It is located approximately 27 km north of Kalasin city center.

Mr. Thawatchai Arunyik, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), stated: “The Sirindhorn Museum has played a central role in geological and paleontological research and geological tourism for many years. Every year, tourists travel from near and far to admire the numerous dinosaur fossils. The agreement to establish a museum partnership with the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum will certainly increase the museum's visibility and public interest in geological tourism, thus leading to higher tourism revenues in Kalasin.”

Contact information: International Public Relations Department, Tourism Authority of Thailand, 1600 New Petchaburi Road, Makkasan, Ratchathevi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand, Tel.: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48, Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419, E-mail: [email protected], Website: www.TATnews.org