DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodia begins to cremate ex-King Norodom Sihanouk” plus 9 more

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia began to cremate the body of the country's most revered King Father Norodom Sihanouk on Monday evening after it had been lying in state for more than three months at the capital's royal palace.

The cremation was made at the Veal Preah Meru Square next to the Royal Palace in an elaborate Buddhist ceremony.

The somber event was attended by Cambodian leaders, including President of the Senate Chea Sim, President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Hun Sen as well as royal families and other senior officials.

Besides, foreign leaders and dignitaries from 16 countries attended the ceremony. Among them are Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Laos Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Vice President of the Philippines Jejomar C. Binay, and Japan's Prince Akishino.

After all participating foreign leaders and foreign diplomats paid their last respects and laid flowers nearby the golden casket bearing Sihanouk's body and 90 Buddhist monks chanted in a religious language, Sihanouk's wife Queen Mother Norodom Monineath and his son King Norodom Sihamoni lit the funeral flame at the newly constructed cremation site at 6:30 p.m.

Crowds of mourners clad in white shirts and pinning black ribbons, clasped hands together in prayers and looked sadly and tearfully while the funeral flame was burning.

Sihanouk reigned over Cambodia 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.

The late monarch died naturally and peacefully at the age of 90 in China's capital of Beijing on Oct. 15 last year.

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

Jia Qinglin (L), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, meets with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, Feb. 4, 2013. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

Jia Qinglin (1st L), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, meets with Cambodia's Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk (2nd R) and King Norodom Sihamoni (1st R) in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, Feb. 4, 2013. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of mourners have flocked to the cremation site of the late Cambodian ex-King Norodom Sihanouk next to the Royal Palace here on Monday morning to pay their last respects ahead of the cremation ceremony which will be held this Monday evening.

According to the schedule, Sihanouk's wife Queen Mother Norodom Monineath and his son King Norodom Sihamoni will light the funeral flame at the cremation site at 6:00 p.m. local time.

A number of foreign leaders have arrived in Cambodia to attend the ceremony. Among them are Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Laos Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Vice President of the Philippines Jejomar C. Binay, and Japan's Prince Akishino.

Sihanouk died naturally and peacefully at the age of 90 in China's capital of Beijing on October 15, last year.

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

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

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's most revered former King Norodom Sihanouk died on October 15, 2012 in China's capital of Beijing at the age of 90 due to natural cause.

His body will be cremated on Monday evening at a custom-built cremation site next to the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh after it has been lying in state for more than 3 months.

Below is his summary biography that is provided to Xinhua News Agency by the Royal Cabinet.

Born on October 31, 1922 in Phnom Penh, Sihanouk learned at the Francois Baudoin Primary School in Phnom Penh and the secondary schooling at the Chasseloup-Laubat High School in Saigon, Vietnam from 1930 to 1940.

In April 1941, he was elected King of Cambodia by the Council of the Crown, and from 1946 and 1948, he continued his higher studies at the School of Application of the Cavalry and Armoured Army in Saumur, France.

He claimed and obtained from France the complete independence of Cambodia in 1953. Cambodian people entitled him "the Great Hero King, the Father of Khmer Independence."

In April 1955, he abdicated in favor of his father, His Majesty Norodom Suramarit, and he found the Sangkum Reastr Niyum, or the People's Socialist Community, and was elected as Prime Minister.

In February 1956, the King Father, then-Prime Minister, made an official visit to the People Republic of China and met with Chinese leaders including President Mao Zedong. Both sides signed a joint declaration on Cambodia-China Friendship.

In 1956, In Brioni, Yugoslavia, he signed with President Josip Broz Tito, and immediately after President Gamal Abdel Nasser of the United Arab Republic, President Soekarno of Indonesia and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India, the Chart of the Movement of Non-aligned Countries. Thus, he became the 5th co- founder of this Movement.

In 1960, upon the death of King Norodom Suramarit, Sihanouk was elected unanimously by the members of the Khmer Parliament as Head of State of Cambodia.

From May 1961, Sihanouk had struggled in a legal battle with Thailand over Preah Vihear temple at The Hague, the Netherlands, and The Hague awarded the temple to Cambodia on June 15, 1962.

On March 18, 1970, Sihanouk, on an official visit to the Soviet Union, was the victim of a Coup d'Etat in Phnom Penh, a military putsch whose leaders were Lon Nol and Sirik Matak.

The Khmer Republic of Lon Nol was declared in October 1970.

On March 23, 1970, Sihanouk became President of the Cambodian Resistance (FUNC- National United Front of Cambodia), and April 17, 1975, the People's National Liberation Army of FUNC achieved, in Cambodia, a total victory.

The State of "Democratic Kampuchea" was born. Sihanouk became the President, but a year later (April 1976), he voluntarily resigned from his functions of Head of State of Democratic Kampuchea.

He became again President of Democratic Kampuchea in 1982. At the same time, he was the Head of the Cambodian National Resistance (CNR) until 1990.

On June 24, 1991, the King Father obtained from the leaders of the 4 Cambodian factions composing the SNC (Supreme National Council) of Cambodia a solemn declaration and acceptance of an unlimited ceasefire in the whole of Cambodia and the cessation of acceptance of military assistance from foreign countries by the four Cambodian armies.

On July 17, 1991, he quit the Presidency of Democratic Kampuchea and the CNR to place himself above the Cambodian political factions and parties. He was unanimously elected by the other 11 members of the Supreme National Council of Cambodia as the neutral President of this Council which was composed by the Party of Hun Sen of the Government of the State of Cambodia and the Party NGC (National Government of Cambodia/Resistance). The NGC was a tripartite coalition composed of the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) of Son Sann, the Party of Democratic Kampuchea of Khieu Samphan and the Funcinpec of Prince Norodom Ranariddh.

November 14, 1991, the triumphal return of Sihanouk to Phnom Penh.

After his return, the government of the State of Cambodia was led by Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian People's Party led by Chea Sim; the KPNLF led by Son Sann; Funcinpec headed by Prince Norodom Ranariddh; and the Party of Democratic Kampuchea led by Khieu Samphan respectively declared officially and in writing that Sihanouk had never ceased to be the legal and legitimate Head of State of the whole of Cambodia. Consequently, Sihanouk maintained officially the title of Head of State of Cambodia until the Presidential elections of 1993.

May 22, 1993, Sihanouk, Head of State and President of the Supreme National Council of Cambodia, declared he completely supported the General Elections organized and supervised by UNTAC and which should take place from May 23-28, 1993.

On June 14, 1993, the new Constituent Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to fully rehabilitate Sihanouk, victim of the anti-Constitutional Putsch of March 18,1970 and granted full powers to Sihanouk in his capacity of Head of State of Cambodia.

Cambodia became an advanced Liberal Democracy and a Constitutional Monarchy whose King reigns but does not rule.

He, with the support of the National Assembly and Government, was unanimously elected, by the Council of the Crown, King and Head of State for life of Cambodia.

He voluntarily abdicated on October 7, 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni.