UNESCO inscribed three sites associated with Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge atrocities onto the World Heritage List during 47th session of World Heritage Committee in Paris. The former M-13 prison, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21), and Choeung Ek Genocidal Center have been recognized for their universal value in preserving memory, documenting atrocities, and educating future generations. This is Cambodia’s fifth World Heritage site nomination and its first modern-era, conflict-associated listing globally.
About the Sites
- Significance: These are the first modern-era and recent-conflict heritage sites from Cambodia to be inscribed, marking the country’s fifth World Heritage inscription.
- Historical Context: The sites are linked to atrocities by the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979), under Pol Pot, during which 1.7–2.2 million people died from starvation, torture, and executions.
- Cambodia’s other UNESCO Sites:
- Angkor Archaeological Park
- Temple of Preah Vihear
- Sambo Prei Kuk Temple Complex
- Koh Ker Temple Site
1. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21 Prison)
- Originally a high school in Phnom Penh, turned into a torture and interrogation center.
- ~15,000 detainees were imprisoned, tortured; most were later killed at Choeung Ek.
- Now functions as a memorial and museum, displaying victim photos and torture instruments.
- Documented extensively by the UN-backed Khmer Rouge Tribunal (ECCC).
2. Choeung Ek Genocidal Center
- Execution site for prisoners from S-21.
- Former Chinese cemetery, later turned into the infamous “Killing Field”.
- ~6,000 bodies exhumed from over 100 mass graves.
- Focus of the 1984 film “The Killing Fields”, based on journalist Dith Pran’s experiences.
- Annual remembrance events and student reenactments held.
3. M-13 Prison (Kampong Chhnang province)
- A rural prison used during the early phase of the Khmer Rouge regime (pre-1975).
- Site of experimental torture and interrogation methods later implemented at S-21.
- Currently only a derelict plot, but retains historical significance.
UNESCO World Heritage Context
What is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
- A site recognized by UNESCO for its cultural or natural significance and its outstanding value to humanity.
World Heritage Listing Criteria Fulfilled:
- Modern conflict heritage
- Documentation of mass atrocities and human rights abuses
Background & Global Relevance
- Khmer Rouge Regime (1975–1979):
- Led by Pol Pot, the regime aimed to create a communist agrarian society.
- April 17, 1975: Captured Phnom Penh; began mass relocations and executions.
- 1979: Regime overthrown by Vietnamese invasion.
- Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC):
- UN-backed tribunal (2006–2022).
- Cost: $337 million
- Convictions: Only 3 top leaders (e.g., Kaing Guek Eav aka Duch, chief of S-21).
- Pol Pot died in 1998 before facing trial.