AKP Phnom Penh, March 07, 2025 --

His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, has issued a royal decree to protect and support the inclusion of three Cambodian sites on the World Heritage list, said the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in a press release made public this evening.

The sites have been nominated by the Royal Government to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Khmer Rouge regime, which oppressed and exploited the Cambodian people for 3 years, 8 months and 20 days, it pointed out.

According to the source, the Ministry of Culture and Fine arts began preparing the necessary documentation in 2019 on behalf of the Royal Government. The three sites are the Former M-13 Prison, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre. Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek are located in Phnom Penh while M-13 is in Kampong Chhnang province, bordering Kampong Speu province.

The three sites were selected as a combined nomination because they show that KR torture and execution were part of a planned and consistent pattern, beginning at M-13 in the early 1970s.

The Royal Decree involves firstly the protection of the principal sites and also supports their nomination as memorial sites on the World Heritage List. The Royal Decree is named "Cambodian Memorial Sites: From Centres of Repression to Places of Peace and Reflection", which is also the official tittle for the serial nomination for the World Heritage Site.

The Royal Decree has three purposes: 1. To protect and preserve all historical evidence and documents to serve as lessons and remembrance, and to prevent the recurrence of genocide, crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of Aug. 12, 1949; 2. To protect the environment, historical landscapes and natural resources of the areas and to develop each area sustainably to protect universal values; 3. To increase awareness, research, education and outreach to promote reconciliation and peace.

In 2020, the sites were placed on Cambodia's tentative list for World Heritage inscription. The formal nomination was submitted in January 2024 after input from an Inter-Ministerial Committee of 10 Ministries and 3 and provincial administrations of Phnom Penh Municipality, Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Speu provinces.

While Cambodia already has 4 World Heritage Sites (Angkor complex, Preah Vihear Temple, Sambo Prei Kuk complex and Koh Ker), this is "our first nomination for a modern and non-classical archaeological site", said Minister of Culture and Fine Arts H.E. Dr. Phoeurng Sackona. "It is also among the first in the world to be submitted as sites associated with recent conflict."

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre

Former M-13 Prison

AKP