Cambodians line up to pay homage
Source: Agencies |
October 18, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE body of Cambodia's late former King Norodom Sihanouk returned to his homeland yesterday afternoon, welcomed by hundreds of thousands of mourners who packed tree-lined roads in capital Phnom Penh ahead of the royal funeral.
Sihanouk, 90, died of a heart attack on Monday in Beijing, where he had been receiving treatment since January.
The former monarch was the last surviving Southeast Asian leader who pioneered his nation through postwar independence. He served as prime minister and twice as king before abdicating the throne for good in 2004.
A Boeing 747 arranged by the government of China - a steadfast friend of the late monarch for decades - brought back the body, which was accompanied by Sihanouk's widow, Queen Mother Monineath.
Also on the plane was Sihanouk's son and successor, King Sihamoni, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who had traveled to Beijing to retrieve the body.
The casket was carried on an elaborate motorized float from the airport to the Royal Palace, where Sihanouk will lie in state for three months. During that time, the public can pay respects before the body is cremated according to Buddhist ritual. Monks and soldiers both rode the float, designed to represent a giant golden phoenix-like bird.
Crowds had gathered since morning all along the 8-kilometer route, many wearing white, a color of mourning in Buddhist tradition. Officials estimated the crowd to be more than 200,000. Long Demon, a city government spokesman, said that as many as 1.2 million people in total, including many from outside the capital, had come to mourn.
When the float passed them, wailing grew louder among the onlookers. Many, especially the elderly, bowed low with hands pressed together above their heads in a traditional mark of respect. Some tossed flowers.
Thousands of people, some with tears in their eyes, gathered outside the palace in swelteringly hot weather, many of them kneeling before a huge portrait of the late monarch on the main wall, which was also adorned with lights. They carried flowers, lit candles, burned incense and prayed.
"I needed to come here today to pray and see the body of the king because he dies only one time, not twice," said Khy Sokhan, a 73-year-old woman in a wheelchair outside the palace.
While older people seemed more emotionally affected, younger people also came out to grieve.
A young woman who traveled with her family from Kampong Cham Province in eastern Cambodia described mixed emotions.
"I am happy because I have a chance to come to Phnom Penh see the coffin of the grandfather-king with own eyes, but I feel so sad to see him passing away," said 20-year-old Kay Savath.
A holiday atmosphere accompanied the grief.
Mom Khak, 23, was selling incense and candles in front of the palace, and acknowledged that Sihanouk's death was good fortune for him because the crowd meant better business.
Sihanouk, 90, died of a heart attack on Monday in Beijing, where he had been receiving treatment since January.
The former monarch was the last surviving Southeast Asian leader who pioneered his nation through postwar independence. He served as prime minister and twice as king before abdicating the throne for good in 2004.
A Boeing 747 arranged by the government of China - a steadfast friend of the late monarch for decades - brought back the body, which was accompanied by Sihanouk's widow, Queen Mother Monineath.
Also on the plane was Sihanouk's son and successor, King Sihamoni, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who had traveled to Beijing to retrieve the body.
The casket was carried on an elaborate motorized float from the airport to the Royal Palace, where Sihanouk will lie in state for three months. During that time, the public can pay respects before the body is cremated according to Buddhist ritual. Monks and soldiers both rode the float, designed to represent a giant golden phoenix-like bird.
Crowds had gathered since morning all along the 8-kilometer route, many wearing white, a color of mourning in Buddhist tradition. Officials estimated the crowd to be more than 200,000. Long Demon, a city government spokesman, said that as many as 1.2 million people in total, including many from outside the capital, had come to mourn.
When the float passed them, wailing grew louder among the onlookers. Many, especially the elderly, bowed low with hands pressed together above their heads in a traditional mark of respect. Some tossed flowers.
Thousands of people, some with tears in their eyes, gathered outside the palace in swelteringly hot weather, many of them kneeling before a huge portrait of the late monarch on the main wall, which was also adorned with lights. They carried flowers, lit candles, burned incense and prayed.
"I needed to come here today to pray and see the body of the king because he dies only one time, not twice," said Khy Sokhan, a 73-year-old woman in a wheelchair outside the palace.
While older people seemed more emotionally affected, younger people also came out to grieve.
A young woman who traveled with her family from Kampong Cham Province in eastern Cambodia described mixed emotions.
"I am happy because I have a chance to come to Phnom Penh see the coffin of the grandfather-king with own eyes, but I feel so sad to see him passing away," said 20-year-old Kay Savath.
A holiday atmosphere accompanied the grief.
Mom Khak, 23, was selling incense and candles in front of the palace, and acknowledged that Sihanouk's death was good fortune for him because the crowd meant better business.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
