UNESCO Meeting Condemns Heritage Site Bombings Amidst Cambodian Call for Justice

The 48th Session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee (WHC) has unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the destruction of world heritage properties during armed conflicts. The session, held from July 26-29 in Busan, South Korea, was attended by 162 member countries, along with international organisations, partners and observer institutions. It comes months after Cambodia reported widespread damage to the Preah Vihear Temple. The UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site was struck by heavy Thai shelling during last year’s border conflict. Sous Yara, a CPP central committee member and chairman of the Asian Cultural Council of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), attended the session for Cambodia. The attendees also called on parties involved in conflicts to ensure the protection of heritage properties and to refrain from using heritage sites for military purposes. Yara addressed the meeting but did not specifically mention the widespread allegations that Thai forces targeted a UNESCO-listed site. Instead, he spoke of Cambodia’s desire for peace, and the need for the protection of all such historical sites. “We ask to enhance peaceful coexistence and harmony of humanity. Essentially, protecting heritage is not only a cultural responsibility but also an investment in peace, resilience, and reconciliation,” he said. He also called for the increased use of technology in conserving tangible and intangible cultural heritages. “We must connect youth and foster social unity while respecting cultural heritage and religious differences,” he continued. He also raised the question of possible punishments for anyone found to have deliberately damaged a World Heritage site. “Justice must be sought. The question is whether impunity will last or be dealt with under international law. The perpetrators of the deliberate destruction of UNESCO World Heritage Sites must be brought to justice,” he added. While Yara did not mention the damage to Preah Vihear, the Thai delegation appeared to take umbrage at his remarks and requested an immediate right of reply. The chairperson of the session granted the Thais just one minute to respond. The Thai representative attempted to muddy the issue by declaring that his nation focuses on protecting the entire buffer zone surrounding core heritage sites — not just temples themselves, for example. He claimed that Thailand plays a major role in safeguarding World Heritage Sites and remains committed to regional cooperation with other countries. No mention of the specific damage to Preah Vihear was made by either delegation during the exchange. Information Source: Phnom Penh Post