DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Vietnamese, Laos PMs to pay last tributes to Cambodian ex-King Sihanouk” plus 5 more

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The long-standing friendship between Cambodia and China will be strengthened and broadened for good even though Cambodian King-Father Norodom Sihanouk had passed away, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Thursday.

He made the remarks after a one-hour meeting here with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo.

"Cambodia sincerely thanked China for taking care of King- Father Norodom Sihanouk's heath until his death on Monday in Beijing," he told reporters.

Dai Bingguo said the departure of the King-Father was not only the loss for Cambodian people, but also the grief for Chinese people because the King-Father was Cambodia's top leader and a close friend of China.

Dai Bingguo escorted Sihanouk's body to Cambodia from Beijing on Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Dai Bingguo also paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Hun Sen. During the meeting, the premier expressed profound and heartfelt gratitude to all Chinese leaders for taking great care of the King-Father's health until his death.

The most revered ex-King Norodom Sihanouk died of illness at the age of 90 in Beijing on Monday and his body was transported to Phnom Penh by Air China jumbo jet on Wednesday afternoon. Hundreds of thousands of mourners tearfully welcomed the return of his body.

The country announced a week of mourning from Oct. 17-23, and the body of the King-Father will be lying in state for at least three months at the Royal Palace before it is cremated.

Born on Oct. 31, 1922, Sihanouk reigned the country from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his voluntary abdication on Oct. 7, 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni.

He was the king who led the country to gain independence from France in 1953. He had gone through decades of political and social turmoil in Cambodia, besides long periods of exile overseas.

He suffered from various forms of cancer, diabetes and hypertension and had been treated by Chinese doctors in Beijing for years before his death.

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Seoul's bid to regain a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council will be decided late Thursday local time, as the UN General Assembly will vote to elect five new non-permanent members to the Security Council.

South Korea is competing against Cambodia and Bhutan for the single Asia-Pacific seat. South Korean diplomats, including Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, have launched an active campaign in recent months to win the support of UN member states in its bid to return to the council in 2013-2014.

The country previously sat on the council in 1996-1997.

According to local media reports, Seoul officials appear confident that South Korea leads the race for the Asian non-permanent seat, as the country is believed to have secured the required number of votes -- 129, or two-thirds of the 193-nation General Assembly.

The five countries chosen will begin a two-year term on Jan.1. They will replace Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal and South Africa.

KUNMING, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- A tourist ferry's Wednesday departure from southwest China for Thailand marked the resumption of such services on the Mekong River after a suspension following the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the waterway late last year.

Setting off from the port of Jinghong in Yunnan Province, the ferry had 21 Britons and two South Africans on board.

The voyage comes less than a month after a Myanmar drug runner and five of his gang members stood trial for the sailors' murders in October. Naw Kham, the principal suspect, pleaded guilty to murder in a local court in Yunnan. The verdict has yet to be announced.

Tian Wenqian, a border official in Yunnan, said there is renewed confidence concerning Mekong tourist travel. Three other tourist trips are scheduled in November, departing from Jinghong for Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, he added.

With a length of almost 5,000 km, the Mekong is one of the most important waterways in Southeast Asia, linking China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It plays a crucial economic role among the Greater Mekong Sub-region countries.

Cargo ferries, though briefly disrupted following the murder, resumed services on the river in December.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of thousands of mourners on Wednesday afternoon tearfully welcomed the arrival of the body of the most revered ex-King Norodom Sihanouk, who died of illness at the age of 90 in Beijing on Monday.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, former Queen Norodom Monineath and Prime Minister Hun Sen brought home the former King's body from Beijing by Air China. Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo also escorted the coffin to Cambodia.

The body arrived at 3:00 pm (local time), marking the official start of a week of mourning.

At a traditional ceremony at the Phnom Penh International Airport, 90 Buddhist monks chanted to pray for the soul of the deceased King-Father before the body was moved onto a swan-shaped vehicle.

Then, the convoy of the ex-King's body headed to the Royal Palace.

Over 100,000 sympathizers, wore white shirts with black ribbons pinned to them in a sign of mourning, flanked the 10-kilometer route from the Phnom Penh International Airport to the Royal Palace to salute the King-Father's body.

Most of mourners cried while others were sad when seeing the convoy of the King-Father's body.

"We miss him very much, he was a great king," said a 78-year- old mourner In Tan, recalling that during the reign of former King Sihanouk from 1950s to 1960s, the country saw rapid development in all domains.

Minister of culture and fine arts Him Chhem said, "It is a great loss for Cambodia. One of the former King's unforgettable achievements for the nation is the independence he gained from France in 1953," he told reporters.

The nation is in sadness. Flags are all flying at half-mast during a week-long period of mourning and all peoples are advised to pin a small, black piece of cloth to their shirts as the sign of mourning.

All of 13 TV stations and 101 radio stations cancelled all their daily programs to focus their broadcasts only on documentaries featuring the King-Father's royal crusades and achievements he had made during his life time since he firstly reigned the country in 1941.

Condolence messages from leaders around the world have been read through all those TVs and radios.

Cambodia saw the King-Father as a great Cambodian hero who brought Cambodia full independence, peace, national reconciliation and unity, Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said.

"The former King was the father of independence, territorial integrity, and national reconciliation and unity," he said.

Government spokesman and information minister Khieu Kanharith said, "The former King was among elite heroes in the 20th century and he was the first founder of diplomatic ties between Cambodia and China, and the ties have been steadily strengthened and fostered until today."

According to the official schedule, the body of the King-Father will be exhibited at least three months at the Royal Palace before it is cremated.

"During the 3-month display, civil servants, civilians and foreign friends can pay their last respects to the King-Father," said a directive signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday.

Sihanouk wrote in a royal letter in January, 2012 that he requested his body to be cremated instead of being buried and his ashes to be put in an urn, preferably made of gold, and placed in a stupa at the country's Royal Palace.

Born on Oct. 31, 1922, Sihanouk reigned the country from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his voluntary abdication on Oct. 7, 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni.

He was the king who led the country to gain independence from France in 1953. He witnessed the decades of political and social turmoil in Cambodia, despite long periods of exile overseas.

He suffered from various forms of cancer, diabetes and hypertension and had been treated by Chinese doctors in Beijing for years before his death.

During his life time, besides politics and social development, Sihanouk was a prolific amateur music and song composer. He had produced numerous works in Khmer, French and English.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Hun Sen also announced to cancel the annual Water Festival, which was planned on Nov. 27-29, in order to mourn the King-Father.

Water Festival is the largest annual festival in the Southeast Asian nation. Around 3 million Cambodians, especially those from rural areas, converge in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, to enjoy the regatta.