On Friday, Phnom Penh held a funeral procession for the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk. Although Sihanouk passed away in October 2012 at the age of 89, his body has been lying in state at the Royal Palace for over three months so the Cambodian people could pay their respects to their former king. Monuments to Sihanouk, such as this one, have also been erected all over the city:
Sihanouk has been an important political figure in Cambodia since the 1940s. He was the King of Cambodia from 1941-1955 and again from 1993-2004. In between, he was prime minister, president, and maintained a complicated association with the Khmer Rouge and its murderous leader Pol Pot. But he also gained Cambodia's independence from France in 1953 and led peace talks that pulled Cambodia out of two decades (1970-1990) of civil war, dictatorship, and occupation. Sihanouk abdicated the throne in 2004 in favor of his son, current King Norodom Sihamoni. Although the King Father's legacy is complex, he is much beloved by the people of Cambodia.
The funeral procession departed the Royal Palace at 8:00 am on Friday and wound its way around the city center before returning to the Royal Palace at 12:00 pm. Luckily, the hotel where I'm staying was just one block from the procession's route, so I was easily able to walk over and see the whole thing.
Float with King Father's portrait
Float with assorted important people I don't know
Very odd float of plaster animals
Float with Buddha statue
Carriage carrying King Father's casket
Nice photos, love all the gold.
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