The nation of Cambodia marked the 12th anniversary of the passing of late King-Father this morning. High-ranking delegations of the Senate, National Assembly and government as well as ministries and institutions took turns to lay wreaths at the late King-Father Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk (Preah Borom Ratanak Kaudh)’s Memorial Statue.
The statue is located in a public park east of the Monument of Independence in Phnom Penh. Municipal and provincial authorities also held ceremonies to pray for his soul.
Hun Sen, Chairman of Supreme Privy Council to the King, took to social media to express his gratitude to the late King-Father for his sacrifice for the supreme interest of the nation and wished for everlasting peace for his soul. The King-Father passed away on October 15, 2012 in Beijing, China at the age of 90 from natural causes.
October 15 has been declared a national holiday in Cambodia to commemorate the late King-Father’s sacrifice for the nation. Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk was born on Oct 31, 1922. He was the only son of HRH Prince Norodom Suramarit and HRH Princess Sisowath Kossomak Nearirath Serey Vatthana. Sihanouk became the King of the Kingdom of Cambodia in April 1941. He led Cambodia to full independence from France in 1953.
In 1955, Sihanouk abdicated for his father and founded the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (SRN), a country development movement. It won a great victory in the legislative election. Subsequently, Sihanouk became the prime minister of Cambodia and head of state of Cambodia in 1960 after the death of his father.
On March 18, 1970 during an official visit to the USSR, Sihanouk was ousted from power by a Coup d’Etat. Then he became the President of the Cambodian resistance (FUNK). In April 1975, Sihanouk became the head of state of Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge regime), but resigned in 1976.
From the fall of the Democratic Kampuchea on January 7, 1979, to 1990, Sihanouk stayed out of the country and returned in 1991 to become the King of Cambodia in 1993 until he abdicated in October 2004. After abdication, he often stayed in China for his medical treatment until he passed away. AKP
Source : khmertimeskh