Cambodia's Killing Fields and Torture Sites Listed as UNESCO World Heritage

[Financial News] Three places used by the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia 50 years ago as torture and execution sites have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The British Guardian reported on the 12th (local time) that three sites, including the Choeung Ek Killing Field in Cambodia, have been listed as World Heritage Sites. According to the Guardian, UNESCO made this decision at the 47th World Heritage Committee meeting held in Paris, France, the previous day.
First, the Choeung Ek Killing Field, located about 15km south of the capital Phnom Penh, was listed. The killing field is famous as the backdrop for the Hollywood movie 'The Killing Fields'.
The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, located in Phnom Penh, was also listed as a World Heritage Site. The museum, formerly known as 'S-21', was notoriously used as a prison by the Khmer Rouge. About 15,000 people were imprisoned and tortured in this prison. Thousands of S-21 prisoners were massacred at the Choeung Ek Killing Field.
Additionally, the 'M-13' prison, located in the rural area of Kampong Chhnang in central Cambodia and used as a major prison during the early Khmer Rouge era, was also included in the World Heritage list.
This listing was made in the 50th year since the communist Khmer Rouge regime came to power. The Khmer Rouge, a political group, ruled for four years from 1975 to 1979, killing approximately 1.7 million Cambodians through torture and mass executions.
Hun Manet, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, ordered drums to be sounded nationwide to commemorate the listing on the World Heritage list, saying, "I hope this serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving peace."






june@fnnews.com Lee Seok-woo Reporter