The statue of the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk near Independence Monument in Phnom Penh. Hong Menea
King Norodom Sihamoni, Queen Mother Noromdom Monineath Sihanouk and Prime Minister Hun Sen will all take part in a procession on October 15 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk and the 10th anniversary of his passing.
Hun Sen announced his plans to pay tribute to the late King Father while addressing a university graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh on October 11.
“The ceremony will be held at Chaktomuk Hall with His Majesty the King and the Queen Mother in attendance, and I will accompany them and leave some of my work to join the march,” he said.
“Without [Sihanouk], we would not be Cambodians today. We would be French. Our king worked tirelessly and demanded independence so that we could be an independent state today. He struggled mightily,” said Hun Sen.
Early this month, the premier also called on everyone to pay their respects to the late King Father on October 15, when the nation would pay tribute to his soul.
“This year marks the 10th anniversary of his passing and the 100th anniversary of his birth, so on the 15th our citizens are supposed to pay tribute to the late King. We have to commemorate both his passing and birth,” he stated.
The Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC) will also hold a “Meditation to Commemorate the Soul of the late King Father” on October 15 at 5pm, not only to commemorate the anniversaries but also to benefit the participants’ mental health.
According to an announcement by the UYFC on October 11, the venue for the event has been shifted from the garden across from the Royal Palace to nearby Botumvatey pagoda due to the forecast of rainy weather conditions from October 9-15.
Tith Chandara, a member of the UYFC, told The Post that the number of participants would be reduced due to the smaller size venue which could only accommodate 300 people.
He said that the UYFC team would contact those who had already registered and cancel registrations to reduce the number of participants.
“We regret to inform everyone that we must reduce the number of participants due to the small size of the venue. We’re not holding the event outside as previously announced out of concern for the health and safety of those attending in light of a forecast for unfavourable weather,” Chandara said.
The King Father passed away on October 15, 2012 in the Chinese capital Beijing, where he was receiving medical care, at the age of 90. His body was kept at the Royal Palace for 90 days to allow the royal family, civil servants and the Cambodian people as well as diplomats and heads of state to pay their last respects.
The government has officially declared October 15 a national day of mourning to honour him and to celebrate his good deeds, merits and lifelong devotion to the nation and people.
