(Phnom Penh): Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet marked the 17th anniversary of the inscription of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum Archives on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, commemorating a milestone in preserving evidence of the Khmer Rouge regime's atrocities.

The archives were officially added to the register on 31 July 2009 during a meeting of UNESCO's International Advisory Committee in Bridgetown, Barbados, in recognition of their exceptional historical significance.

Containing one of the world's most comprehensive collections of evidence documenting crimes committed under the Khmer Rouge regime, the archives have benefited from extensive international support, particularly from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) through UNESCO, to preserve, digitise, and improve public access to the records.

The digitisation project has also enabled victims' families and researchers to search for information and access archival documents online more easily.

The prime minister also highlighted that the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21) is one of three Cambodian memorial sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the designation "Cambodian Memorial Sites: From Centres of Repression to Places of Peace and Reflection." The inscription was approved on 11 July 2025 during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, France.

The three recognised sites are the Former M-13 Prison, located on the border of Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Speu provinces, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21), and the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre in Phnom Penh.

Together, the three former Khmer Rouge sites are recognised by UNESCO as enduring symbols of remembrance, reconciliation, and peace.
=FRESH NEWS