Kedah Religious, Tourism, Heritage and Works Committee chairman Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid said the development of this historical area would serve as catalyst for tourism growth in the state, especially on the mainland.
“As we have mentioned earlier, we are in the process of setting up a foundation to oversee the management and development of Sungai Batu as how Candi Borodor in Indonesia and Angkor Wat in Thailand are being managed by independent bodies,” he told Bernama after opening the North Kedah Tourism Industry Conference here today.
On May 23 last year, the Sungai Batu archaeological complex created history when experts declared it the earliest and oldest civilisation in the Southeast Asian region.
The declaration plaque was presented by Oxford University archaeologist Prof Dr Stephen Oppenheimer to Universiti Sains Malaysia Global Archaeological Research Centre director Prof Mokhtar Saidin.