A grand Buddhist ceremony was held in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh on 28 October to bless Cambodia’s constitutional monarch, King Norodom Sihamoni, and to mark the tenth anniversary of his coronation. According to the People’s Daily of China, thousands of well-wishers participated and hundreds of Buddhist monks chanted religious scriptures. King Norodom Sihamoni, now 61, was crowned king on 29 October 2004 when his father, the late King Norodom Sihanouk, renounced the throne due to health problems. Many elderly Cambodians credit Norodom Sihanouk with overseeing a rare period of political stability in the 1950s and '60s, following Cambodia’s independence from France until the outbreak of civil war and the subsequent genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. He died of a heart attack in October 2012, as reported in the Bangkok Post and quoted by the news agency AFP.
King Norodom Sihamoni. From www.thesoutheastasiaweekly.com
While leaders and foreign diplomats visited the king in the afternoon of 28 October, the main celebrations were in fact held the following day, and were attended by Cambodian leaders, senior officials, diplomatic personnel, members of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and officials from all state ministries and institutions. Speaking to a crowd of some 10,000 people—many dressed in white and carrying flowers—the king praised the political leadership of Hun Sen, Cambodia’s prime minister. “Hun Sen . . . the most clever leader, has set out suitable policies to bring peace and happiness and stability,” AFP quoted the king as saying. “We can say that our nation and [the] Cambodian people have a good future.”
Cambodian monks pray in front of King Norodom Sihamoni's portrait at the Royal Palace.
From AFP news agency
According to the People’s Daily, Pa Socheatevong, the governor of Phnom Penh Municipality and one of the event’s participants, told reporters that some 500 Buddhist monks had attended the ceremony. The governor further stated that, “during the past ten years, Cambodia has enjoyed peace and development in all fields under the king's reign.” Usually seen as a quiet monarch, the king is loved by his people, many of whom gathered in front of the Royal Palace at dawn to pay their respects. “I love him so much. That's why I came here. He has helped the Cambodian people, especially the poor,” Lim Chan Sinat, a student who attended the event, told AFP.
King Norodom Sihamoni paying respect to the late King Norodom Sihanouk.
From www.cambodiadaily.com
King Norodom Sihamoni was born in May 1953 and was sent to Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1962 for his elementary and high school education. He also studied music and classical dance until 1975, when he left for North Korea to study film-making. Upon his return to Cambodia in 1977, the Khmer Rouge government placed him and other members of the royal family under house arrest until 1979, when Vietnam invaded Cambodia. He then moved to France to teach ballet to the Khmer Dance Association, where he spent 20 years. During that time, he regularly visited Prague, the city of his youth and early education. In 1993, he was appointed Cambodia’s delegate to UNESCO, and became well known for his promotion of Cambodian culture.