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| King Norodom Sihanouk's body will remain at the royal palace for three months before it is cremated |
16 October 2012
BBC News
Norodom Sihanouk
- First crowned king in 1941 at the age of 19
- Led Cambodia to independence from France
- Aligned with Khmer Rouge in its early years, but held under house arrest while regime was in power
- Spent long periods in exile in China
- Worked in 1990s to bring stability and peace to Cambodia
- Abdicated in 2004 in favour of his son, citing ill-health
Cambodia is preparing for the return of the body of former King Norodom Sihanouk, who died in China on Monday.
His body is due to arrive in Phnom Penh on Wednesday morning, marking the start of a week of official mourning.
As many as 100,000 people are expected to line the route the coffin will take from the airport to the royal palace.
Grieving Cambodians wore black ribbons and flags flew at half-mast after news broke that the 89-year-old had died of a heart attack in Beijing.
In Phnom Penh, students wearing white shirts with black ribbons pinned on them sang songs before offering flowers at the royal palace.
"I miss him. I came here to cry and release my sorrow. Under his reign we lived happily, he never hurt anyone," Sam Sivorn, 58, told Agence-France Presse in the capital.
Officials from the US, China, North Korea, Japan and other countries also sent messages of condolence.
The government has ordered all radio and television stations to refrain from broadcasting any programmes that may be deemed inappropriate during the mourning period.
Sihanouk's body will remain at the palace for three months for people to pay their respects before an elaborate funeral and cremation, said the government.
Sihanouk became king in 1941 while still a teenager, and led Cambodia to independence from France in 1953.
He was a presence through decades of political and social turmoil in Cambodia, despite long periods of exile overseas.
In later life, he emerged as a peacemaker who helped bring stability back to his country, after an ill-fated choice to back the Khmer Rouge in its early years.
Sihanouk remained an influential figure in his country, despite his abdication in 2004 in favour of his son King Norodom Sihamoni who, along with Prime Minister Hun Sen, flew to China on Monday to accompany his body home.
8 comments:
For litle that you have done for Cambodia...Rest in peace, Sihanouk (bowing..)!
Should there be any reincarnation - redeem yourself by waking up to help rid of all the Viet invaders forever out of Cambodia!!!
signed: The approx. 2 millions Khmer's life lost (including my entire family) under your watch...
An orphan now moving forward alone...
Now you have the power to bring down Hun San. Use your dead spirit to scare the shit out of Hun San.
Your spirit will live on in people who believe in you. Good or bad you will be judged when you enter God's kingdom. May God bless your soul and that you don't look back at what you have done and face your judgement in peace.
so the truth is King father was a top leader of Khmer Rough. So where are his responsibilities in his leadership skill that lead to millions deaths?
Burn his body over there (China). Don't bring back to Cambodia. He was a Traitor to Khmer people. The Khmer people have suffered enough by him. He did not respect even his own mother. He was an evil king . He should be alive until he can serve his punishement in the Khmer Rouge trail. Please don't forget he was the person who killed Lok Protean Sam Rainsy's father.
Pang Sokheoun, Secretary-General of SRP in Sweden.
What a coward!!! khiev somphan only said...SIHANOUK should be on trial with him also ..on khmer rouge regime, THIS GUY LEFT CAMBODIA FOR GINA WITHOUT ANY NOTICE. Now he just die just like that.
ONLY AH TMIL ET SASNA KHMER ROUGE LIKE YOU HAS NO REMORSE FOR THE DEAD!!!
12:05 PM
STOP BARKING ASSHOLE, NOBODY LISTEN TO YOU, MOTHERFUCKER!
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