The addition of historic sites to Unesco’s World Heritage list has great benefits for the country as a whole and the sites in particular, preserving them while improving Cambodia’s notoriety, Lim Bun Hok, a national cultural expert, told “Hello VOA” Monday.
“If those sites are under high risk of damage, then if they are listed under the World Heritage,” he said. “That means the property is the entire world’s property, and the international community has to help take care of it and preserve it.”
The temples of Angkor were made Heritage sites in 1992, with Preah Vihear temple ascribed to the list in 2008. The government has submitted nine other sites for consideration, including Oudong, Kulen, Beng Mealea and Banteay Chmar.
Lim Bun Hok said the World Heritage committee reviews such applications annually before deciding which sites to list.
To date, there are 890 World Heritage sites in 148 countries around the world.
