Thousands of Cambodians paid their last respects to their beloved former king Norodom Sihanouk as his body lay in state on Saturday ahead of his cremation next week.
The mourners were able to glimpse the late monarch’s gilded casket through doorways to the purpose-built crematorium where it was carried Friday in a lavish procession that brought Phnom Penh to a standstill.
His body will be kept at the crematorium until Monday when his wife and his son, current King Norodom Sihamoni, will start the cremation ceremony.
“I had the chance to pay my last respects to the King-Father,” 65-year-old Sun Sopho, said, with tears in her eyes, reflecting the sorrow of many who see Sihanouk as a force of stability over six turbulent decades.
“I asked his soul to bless us and to keep peace for the country forever.”
The mercurial ex-monarch died of a heart attack aged 89 in Beijing on October 15 last year.
