Thank You Message from Prof. Rasmi Shoocongdej

Dear friends and colleagues,

On behalf of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association, I would like to genuinely thank you for attending the 22nd IPPA Congress in Chiang Mai between 6 & 12 November 2022. Thanks also for your warm wishes and moral support over a couple years. I hope you enjoyed the congress and felt at home.  

Many friends, colleagues, and organisations have supported us for a couple years. I, of course, cannot name them all here, but I would like to name a few.

I would like to personally thank Phil Piper, Fredeliza Campos, Naruphol Wangthongchaicharoen, Pira Venunan, Borisut Boripohon and Rhayan Melendres for volunteering your time to prepare and organize this congress. We had our endless meetings over the past two years. This congress could not have been a successful event without all of your precious time and dedicated work.

Thank you, Chawalit Khaokhiew, conference chairperson for assisting us on the fund raising. We are proud that we could support over 100 funds for the participants. Thank you, the Student and Professional Prize Award Committee, the International Advisory Committee, National Advisory Committee, Academic Advisory Committee, Local Organizing Committee, all members of Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, Student Volunteers from the Faculty of Archaeology, Silpakorn University and Rajabhat Chiang Mai University.  I personally appreciate your time and efforts to make this successful congress. Thank you so much.

Thank you Oi Naphaphach, and her team to design a lovely gift package, a book cover, an exhibition, and organized the opening ceremony as well as the farewell dinner which were all memorable events.

Unfortunately, Peter Bellwood, Claudia, and Ian Lilley could not be here with us at this meeting. Thanks for their devotion and hard-working over many years. We missed them!!!

I believe that the success of the congress is that we reach our association mission including to create a venue for us from around the world to come together in person, exchange our new information and share ideas (and data), discuss our current research, and plan to foster our collaborative research together. I expect that you have a great opportunity to meet and make new friends as well as build the new research networks.

I hope you will continue to keep your motivation, passion, and enthusiasm up for the future research challenge in our region because we love what we are doing, archaeology. Indeed, we have strengthen our Indo-Pacific archaeology!

We also appreciate your inputs and suggestions during the IPPA general meeting as you are our valuable members.  We hope that you will volunteer to help and support our organization in the future. So, the involvement continues to grow in our community.  Please help to spread the word about IPPA, renew and encourage new membership!

Once again, I would like to express my wholehearted thanks to all participants for attending, and your kind support for this congress. It means a lot for us.  We look forward to seeing you again in the 23rd IPPA congress. We will soon know where will be the next place to go.

Rasmi Shoocongdej

IPPA President