UNESCO Remains The Historical Site Of Red Khmer Atrocities As 'World Heritage'

The memorial monument and the inscription of the name on the north page, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. (UNESCO/TSGM/Hang Nisay)

JAKARTA - The 47th hearing of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Paris last July designated three historical sites related to the atrocities of the Khmer Merah Administration in Cambodia as "World Heritage".

Tuol Sleng Prison and the Choeung Ek massacre field in Phnom Penh, as well as the M-13 prison in Kampong Chhnang Province were designated as "The Cambodian Commemoration Situs: From the center of oppression to a place of peace and reflection" at the UNESCO meeting in Paris on Friday.

"This is a model for the world, which shows Cambodia's long struggle, reconciliation, the spirit of national unity, finding justice for victims, and building peace," Cambodian interim Culture Minister Hab Touch said.

The Khmer Merah sites mark Cambodia's fifth list of World Heritages, and are the country's first modern era nominees and one of the first globally related to the latest conflict.

The sites are a real reminder of the atrocities committed under the Pol Pot regime from 1975 to 1979, which killed about 1.7 million to 2.2 million people, many of whom were caused by hunger, torture, or execution.

"Hopefully this inscription will serve as an eternal reminder that peace must always be maintained," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said in an online video message, quoted by CNN.

"From the darkest stages of history, we can gain strength to build a better future for mankind," he added.

The Genocide Tuol Sleng Museum, located in the capital Phnom Penh, is a former high school used by Khmer Merah as a notorious prison. More known as the S-21, around 15,000 people were imprisoned and tortured there.

Meanwhile, the M-13 Prison, which is located in rural areas of Kampong Chhnang province in central Cambodia, is also considered one of the main prisons in the early Khmer Merah.

Meanwhile, Choeung Ek, which is located about 15 kilometers (10 miles) south of the capital, is used as a place for mass execution and burial. The story of the atrocities committed there became the focus of the 1984 film "The Killing Fields", which was based on the experience of New York Times photojournalist Dith Pran and Sydney correspondent Schanberg.

It is known that the Khmer Merah took Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975, and immediately led almost the entire city to the countryside. There, they were forced to work hard in tough conditions until 1979, when the regime was ousted from power by an invasion from neighboring Vietnam.

Previously, four Cambodian archaeological sites had been included as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, namely Angkor, Preah Vihear, Sambo Prei Kuk and Koh Ker, the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts said.