(Phnom Penh): Today marks 17 years since Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (7 July 2008 – 7 July 2025), a moment of immense pride for the Cambodian people and a milestone in national heritage preservation.

The designation was finalized during the 32nd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Quebec City, Canada. It followed years of determined advocacy by the Royal Government of Cambodia, led by former Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen first submitted a formal request to UNESCO in 2001, identifying the temple’s inscription as a strategic foreign policy goal. UNESCO responded positively, assisting Cambodia in preparing its nomination. By 2006, the World Heritage Committee had accepted the proposal and conducted a technical site evaluation in 2007. Preah Vihear was officially listed in 2008.

The listing was seen as a historic diplomatic victory, reaffirming Cambodia’s ownership of the site, as first recognized by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962, a legal triumph largely credited to the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk.

Perched atop the Dangrek mountain range in Preah Vihear province, the temple stretches 800 by 400 meters. It lies 405 kilometres from Phnom Penh and just 108 kilometres from the provincial capital via National Road 211, accessible via a steep stairway from the Cambodian side.
=FRESH NEWS