Death and state funeral of Norodom Sihanouk

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Death and state funeral of Norodom Sihanouk
King Norodom Sihanouk's funeral procession 01.jpg
Head of the Thammayut Order Bour Kry sits in a royal truck leading the procession that carries the coffin and body of former King Norodom Sihanouk, 17 October 2012.
Date17 October 2012 (funeral procession)
1–4 February 2013 (cremation)
Location Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Participants Government of Cambodia, The Royal Family, and foreign dignitaries

On 15 October 2012, former Cambodian King and Prime Minister Norodom Sihanouk died at the age of 89, in Beijing, China, [1] after suffering health issues. His death was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nhek Bun Chhay. [2] His body was brought back on 17 October 2012 by King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen. State flags flew at half mast, [3] and the government announced a 7-day mourning period for the former king.

Contents

Death

Sihanouk had been receiving medical treatment in Beijing since January 2012 for a number of health problems, including colon cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. He died after a heart attack in Beijing on 15 October 2012, 1:20 a.m. Cambodian time, aged 89. [1]

Funeral

Cambodian officials gather near the Air China Boeing 747 arranged by the Chinese government at Phnom Penh International Airport to receive the body of former King Norodom Sihanouk as well as his widow, Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, and son, current King Norodom Sihamoni. King Norodom Sihanouk's funeral procession 02.jpg
Cambodian officials gather near the Air China Boeing 747 arranged by the Chinese government at Phnom Penh International Airport to receive the body of former King Norodom Sihanouk as well as his widow, Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, and son, current King Norodom Sihamoni.

A state funeral was held on 17 October 2012 and the National Television of Kampuchea repeatedly screened a 30-minute documentary about his life. [4] Sihanouk's body then reposed in the Royal Palace until 1 February 2013 where it lay in state until 4 February 2013, when it was finally cremated. [5] Sihanouk's royal coffin was adorned with gold and draped with the Royal Standard of the King of Cambodia.

The former king's body was greeted by 90 Buddhist monks who chanted prayers and by tens of thousands citizens waited along the road. [6] Brought into the Royal Palace, his body reposed there until 1 February 2013. Sihanouk's body was removed from the palace on that day, and Cambodians gathered to bid one last farewell to their former leader. [7] His body lay in state for three days and was cremated on 4 February 2013. [5] The obsequies were attended by a number of foreign dignitaries, among whom were French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Filipino Vice President Jejomar Binay, China's Jia Qinglin, Prince Akishino of Japan, Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong, Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and others. [5] [8]

King Norodom Sihamoni presented Sihanouk with the title "Preah Karuna Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk Preah Borom Ratanakkot" (Khmer : ព្រះករុណាព្រះបាទសម្តេចព្រះនរោត្តម សីហនុ ព្រះបរមរតនកោដ្ឋ; literally "The King Who Lies in the Diamond Urn").

Foreign dignitaries who attended Sihanouk's funeral: [8]

CountryTitleDignitary
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Jia Qinglin
Flag of France.svg  France Prime Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault
Flag of India.svg  India Minister of Human Resource Development M. M. Pallam Raju
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan Prince of Japan Fumihito, Prince Akishino
Flag of Laos.svg  Laos Prime Minister of Laos Thongsing Thammavong
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Koh Tsu Koon [9]
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines Vice President of the Philippines Jejomar Binay
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Flag of Thailand (non-standard colours).svg Thailand Prime Minister of Thailand Yingluck Shinawatra
Flag of the United States.svg  United States United States Ambassador to Cambodia William E. Todd
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung

Reactions

Portrait of Norodom Sihanouk being displayed at the Chan Chhaya Pavilion, Royal Palace. Chan Chhaya Pavilion - Royal Palace.JPG
Portrait of Norodom Sihanouk being displayed at the Chan Chhaya Pavilion, Royal Palace.

Domestic

Organisations

International

Sihanouk's royal crematorium. Ceremonie cremation Sihanouk (3).JPG
Sihanouk's royal crematorium.

Related Research Articles

The politics of Cambodia are defined within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the king serves as the head of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. The collapse of communism set in motion events that led to the withdrawal of the Vietnamese armed forces, which had established their presence in the country since the fall of the Khmer Rouge. The 1993 constitution, which is currently in force, was promulgated as a result of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, followed by elections organized under the aegis of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia. The constitution declares Cambodia to be an "independent, sovereign, peaceful, permanently neutral and non-aligned country." The constitution also proclaims a liberal, multiparty democracy in which powers are devolved to the executive, the judiciary and the legislature. However, there is no effective opposition to the Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1985. His Cambodian People's Party won all 125 seats in the National Assembly in 2018 after the banning of opposition party CNRP and KNLF. KNLF became a main opposition exiled in Denmark after CNRP was dissolved. During the communal election in 2022 and the national election in 2023, there were no international observers. The government is considered to be autocratic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norodom Sihanouk</span> Cambodian statesman (1922–2012)

Norodom Sihanouk was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in various capacities throughout his long career, most often as both King and Prime Minister of Cambodia. In Cambodia, he is known as Samdech Euv. During his lifetime, Cambodia was under various regimes, from French colonial rule, a Japanese puppet state (1945), an independent kingdom (1953–1970), a military republic (1970–1975), the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979), a Vietnamese-backed communist regime (1979–1989), a transitional communist regime (1989–1993) to eventually another kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modern Cambodia</span> History of Cambodia since 1989

After the fall of the Pol Pot regime of Democratic Kampuchea, Cambodia was under Vietnamese occupation and a pro-Hanoi government, the People's Republic of Kampuchea, was established. A civil war raged during the 1980s opposing the government's Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Armed Forces against the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea, a government in exile composed of three Cambodian political factions: Prince Norodom Sihanouk's FUNCINPEC party, the Party of Democratic Kampuchea and the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provinces of Cambodia</span> First-level administrative division of Cambodia

Cambodia is divided into 25 provinces. The capital Phnom Penh is not a province but an "autonomous municipality", equivalent to a province governmentally and administered at the same level as the other 24 provinces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norodom Suramarit</span> King of Cambodia from 1955 to 1960

Norodom Suramarit was King of Cambodia from 3 March 1955 until his death in 1960. He was the father of King Norodom Sihanouk and the grandfather of Cambodia's current king, Norodom Sihamoni. Suramarit was born in Phnom Penh to Prince Norodom Sutharot. When his grandfather King Norodom died in 1904, Norodom's brother Sisowath took the throne. King Sisowath died in 1927 and was succeeded by his son Monivong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norodom Ranariddh</span> Cambodian prince and politician (1944–2021)

Norodom Ranariddh was a Cambodian prince, politician and law academic. He was the second son of King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and a half-brother of King Norodom Sihamoni. Ranariddh was the president of FUNCINPEC, a Cambodian royalist party. He was also the first Prime Minister of Cambodia following the restoration of the monarchy, serving between 1993 and 1997, and subsequently as the President of the National Assembly between 1998 and 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sisowath Monivong</span> King of Cambodia from 1927 to 1941

Sisowath Monivong was the King of Cambodia from 9 August 1927 until his death in 1941. During his reign, Cambodia was a French protectorate. Monivong was the grandson of the poet-king Ang Duong, grandfather of Norodom Sihanouk and the great-grandfather of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni. His full regnal title and style was Preah Bat Samdech Preah Serey Monivarman Krom Luang Chao Chakrabangsa Sisowath Monivong Ney Preah Reacheanachak Kampuchea which can be literally translated from Khmerized Sanskrit as "His majesty, glorious lord scholar-protector; His highness, lord of land and sea, Sisowath Monivong of the Kingdom of Kampuchea". He is the most recent monarch from the House of Sisowath, as all his successors are members of the House of Norodom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norodom Sihamoni</span> King of Cambodia since 2004

Norodom Sihamoni is King of Cambodia. He became King on 14 October 2004, a week after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chea Sim</span> Cambodian politician (1932–2015)

Chea Sim was a Cambodian politician. He was President of the Cambodian People's Party from 1991 to 2015, President of the National Assembly of Cambodia from 1981 to 1998 and President of the Senate from 1999 to 2015. His official title was Samdech Akka Moha Thomma Pothisal Chea Sim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norodom Chakrapong</span> Cambodian prince (born 1945)

Norodom Chakrapong is a Cambodian politician, businessman and former major-general of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. He is the fourth son of Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and also a half-brother of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni. Chakrapong started his career as a military pilot in 1963. After Sihanouk was overthrown in 1970, Chakrapong spent time under house arrest, then in Beijing as the Head of Protocol of then-Prince Sihanouk, afterwards living overseas before he joined the Funcinpec in 1981 and fought against Vietnamese occupation as a commander of the Armée Nationale Sihanoukiste. In 1991, Chakrapong left Funcinpec to join the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia between 1992 and 1993. When the CPP lost the 1993 general elections, Chakrapong led a secession attempt in 1993. In 1994, he was accused of joining a failed coup attempt which led him to be sent into exile. After Chakrapong was pardoned in 1998, he founded a private airline company, Royal Phnom Penh Airways. The airlines later stopped all operations in early 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norodom Yuvaneath</span> Prince of Cambodia (1943–2021)

Prince Norodom Yuvaneath was the first son of the late king of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk and Princess Sisowath Pongsanmoni. He was the half-brother of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norodom Monineath</span> Queen of Cambodia from 1993 to 2004

Norodom Monineath Sihanouk is the Queen Mother of Cambodia. She was Queen of Cambodia from 1993 to 2004, as the wife of King Norodom Sihanouk. She is the widow of King-Father Norodom Sihanouk, whom she married in 1955 as the "secondary consort". After Sihanouk and Norleak divorced in 1968, Monineath became the official spouse of the King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chau Sen Cocsal Chhum</span> Cambodian politician (1905–2009)

Chau Sen Cocsal, also known as Chhum, was a Cambodian civil servant and politician who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia in 1962 and President of the National Assembly twice, in 1962–1963 and 1966–1968. He lived for 103 years, 143 days, making him the longest-lived state leader in the world with the known date of birth and death until 12 August 2023. Chhum was awarded the honorary title "Samdech" in 1993 by King Norodom Sihanouk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sisowath Monipong</span> Prime Minister of Cambodia (1950–1951)

Sisowath Monipong was the second son of the former King of Cambodia, Sisowath Monivong and Princess Norodom Kanviman Norleak Tevi. He took part in Cambodian politics during and after World War II.

The Royal Order of Monisaraphon was founded by King Sisowath of Cambodia on 1 February 1905. It is conferred for accomplishment and outstanding support in the fields of education, arts, science, literacy, or social works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Council of the Throne</span> Cambodian council in charge of selecting the next monarch

The Royal Council of the Throne is a nine-member council of Cambodia responsible for selecting the Cambodian monarch. It was established by the constitution on 24 September 1993. The Council elects the king for life from among male descendants of King Ang Duong who are at least 30 years old, from the two royal houses of Cambodia. The nine members of the council include the Prime Minister, President of the National Assembly, President of the Senate, First and Second Vice Presidents of the National Assembly, First and Second Vice Presidents of the Senate, and the two heads of the order of Moha Nikay and Thommoyutteka Nikay. The council was active only in September 1993, when it reinstated Norodom Sihanouk on the throne, and October 2004, when it named his son Norodom Sihamoni as the new king. The voting is conducted through a secret ballot of the nine members.

The following lists events that happened during 2012 in Cambodia.

The following lists events that happened during 2013 in Cambodia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Royal Residence</span> Building in Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia

The Royal Residence is a royal villa located in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It serves as the official residence for the King of Cambodia for when he visits Siem Reap.

References

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