A Change of Guard

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Wednesday 17 October 2012

Crowds of 100,000 people to watch body of Cambodia ex-king come home

Photo by DAP-NEWS
Photo by DAP-NEWS
Photo by DAP-NEWS
www.dap-news.com
                           King Sihanmoni pay respect to the body of his father Ex-King Sihanouk.
By SOPHENG CHEANG, 
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodians prayed for the soul of their former King Norodom Sihanouk on Tuesday and world leaders sent their condolences as the country prepared for the return of his body.
Sihanouk died Monday at age 89 of a heart attack in Beijing, where he had been receiving medical treatment since January for multiple ailments. Officials expect at least 100,000 people to line the route from the Phnom Penh airport, where his body is expected to arrive Wednesday, to the Royal Palace, where it will lay in state during a week of official mourning.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen late Monday ordered all radio and television stations not to play inappropriately lighthearted music or programming that might show disrespect to the late monarch, who abdicated in 2004 in favor of his son Sihamoni.
Sihanouk's body will remain in the palace for a total of three months, during which time the public can pay respects before it is cremated according to Buddhist ritual.
Nearly 100 Buddhist monks and nuns chanted and prayed for Sihanouk at a one-hour ceremony Tuesday at a pagoda near the Royal Palace.

"As Buddhists, we believe that our chanting and praying will help send the soul of our beloved king-father to rest in peace and be quickly reborn," said Ngoun Pheadkey, a 22-year-old Buddhist monk. He added that the ceremony was also to express gratitude to the former king for his leadership and legacy.
Bunches of flowers lay on the sidewalk against the palace walls Tuesday. Several dozen people, mostly older, traveled into the capital from other provinces after hearing of Sihanouk's death.
"All the people in Kampong Chhnang province were very upset and full of regret when they heard that he had died," said Pen Sominea, 50, a cook. "Everybody wishes he had not died now and that he could have lived longer."
Sihanouk was the last surviving Southeast Asian leader who pioneered his nation through postwar independence. Like U Nu of Burma — now called Myanmar — and Sukarno of Indonesia, he tried to steer his country on a neutralist course during the Cold War.
Eventually, however, his country became enmeshed in the conflict in neighboring Vietnam, leading to his first fall from power and culminating in the murderous rule of the communist Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s, during which about 1.7 million of his countrymen perished.
His legacy became tainted because in an effort to regain his political influence, he made common cause with Khmer Rouge, though the regime never yielded power to him and killed five of his children.
After the Khmer Rouge were ousted, and Sihanouk regained the throne in 1993, he rebuilt his reputation as the conscience of his country. But Hun Sen, a tough and canny politician who had defected from the Khmer Rouge, undercut his influence, and a discouraged Sihanouk gave up the throne eight years ago. Sihanouk spent much of the rest of his life in China.
The passage of time and Sihanouk's retreat into quiet retirement in China made the once-dynamic monarch more of a historical figure than a contemporary statesman, but his passing was noted internationally.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent condolences and acknowledged Sihanouk's "long dedication to his country and his legacy as a unifying national leader who is revered by Cambodians and respected internationally," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
"The secretary-general also hopes that the legacy of the former king will allow Cambodia to advance the national healing process, including through continued commitment to justice," Nesirky said. Hun Sen is an autocratic if elected leader with a poor human rights record.
From neighboring Thailand — another of the few remaining monarchies of Asia — came a note of sympathy from 84-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who like Sihanouk gained the throne in the 1940s. The United States likewise sent condolences.
An effusive tribute came from President Francois Hollande of Cambodia's one-time colonizer, France. The countries retain friendly ties.
"I salute the memory of a great man who embodied the destiny of his country and his people, through the hardships of the most terrible events of the twentieth century, and the construction of peace, where he always found France at his side," Hollande said in a letter.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is a good time for the Khmer people to remember how this man fought so hard from foreign invasions. Although he has many pit falls, his patriotism never waver. And it is a good time to continue his dream that ended at the beginning of the 70`s.

Anonymous said...

This is what we call "living, loving, learning, and leaving a legacy". Not only Cambodian people who feel love and respect him, but people around the world.

And what legacy will Dr Hun Sen will leave behind him after his death?

Running the country in this century is quite easy as manufacturing sector in the developed countries around the world are continue moving off shore. We just capitalize on that by helping them to establish the factories in our country with 100% government support and protect them without need to pay side money. Then we can collect tax to finance our public services and every one can have a decent living.

And what will be Dr Hun Sen's legacy this time after his death?

Please,

LIVE LOVE LEARN AND LEAVE A LEGACY.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

I respect King Sihanouk. I understand what are the good things he did for the Country. I understand his mistakes.

But My I feel heart empty, not because I love or not because I don't love him.

It's because he is too old. It's time for him to go.It's the life process.

What 's important is the LEGACY he has left to Cambodia, e3specially to the young generation.

Don't forget that the people who venere someone too much.....too much..those people are danggerous, because it's just those people who will betray you.

Anonymous said...

He was the king of Khmer rouge.
2 millions were tortured and murdered under his rule.

It was noted in the khmer history. It is the fact.

Anonymous said...

And continue to be the victim of the new khmer rouge under the support of this man and his family. Hope more royal family members will die soon. Where is memorial ceremony for pol pot?

Anonymous said...

With the former King most of the Khmer people went into the glory good and the sadness bad time.
But from our experiences, we ca say, that we were better under his leadership.
Most of the next leaders after him did not able to serve the Khmer people, as they wanted. But we can’t only blame our leaders, because we also did some parts of these mistake.
Hope the next Khmer leader learn from these situation try to do the best for our beloved country Cambodia.
But Cambodia can only find the real grassroots, when most of their people know better the different between state and personal affairs.

Anonymous said...

5:31PM

I agree with you!Death is the normal prcess of human being.The leadership is very important.The leadership is a Legagy that inspires the next generation to do things better, to change and to make the Country and the people move forwards and strong.

Anonymous said...

There is two sides to a story,if you ask people whom loyalty to polpot they'll say polpot was great leader,if you ask people whom loyalty to the king they'll say the king was hero,great king,if you ask Cpp clans they'll say Hun cent is the best and great leader as well.So what's the truth? The truth is depending on whom you're asked.R.I.P the X king,...God will judges you according to your deed.

Kmenhwatt.

Anonymous said...


I agree with you. God will judge his action. For me, i hope god puts in in hell for 10000 years, hope he isnt reborn as a Khmer.

If he does reborn, hope he will be reborn as a gay person so this time, he will stop sleeping with young girls.

Hopefully not like his gay son, who cares little about sleeping with girls but foreign men.

Cambodia is going down hill because we have the Sihanouk bloodline who had done little to help the victims such as my families.