Cambodia unveils statue of late King Father Norodom Sihanouk

English.news.cn   2013-10-11 10:42:20

People attend the inauguration ceremony of a statue of late King Father Norodom Sihanouk in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Oct. 11, 2013. Cambodia inaugurated a bronze statue commemorating late King Father Norodom Sihanouk on Friday, four days before the anniversary of his death. (Xinhua/Sovannara)

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Friday inaugurated a bronze statue commemorating the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk, just four days before the one-year anniversary of his death.
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by King Norodom Sihamoni and his mother Queen Mother Norodom Monineath and was attended by President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin, Prime Minister Hun Sen, members of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the Government as well as diplomatic corps.
The 4.5-meter-tall statue, built under a 27-meter-tall memorial stupa, is situated in a public park across from Prime Minister Hun Sen's house and just east of the Independence Monument.
The larger-than-life statue depicted the King Father wearing a dark business suit.
"The statue is to express gratitude and to commemorate late Former King Norodom Sihanouk, the father of independence, territorial integrity, and national unity," Prime Minister Hun Sen said at the ceremony, which was live televised on all local TV channels.
"The inauguration of the statue is to prepare for the commemoration of the first anniversary of his death on Oct. 15," he said.
The premier added that the statue would be the venue for Cambodian people and foreign guests to pay homage.
Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Sok An said at the event that the statue construction took eight months to be completed, costing one million U.S. dollars.
The country's most revered King Father Norodom Sihanouk died of illness at the age of 90 in Beijing on Oct. 15, 2012. He suffered from various forms of cancer, diabetes and hypertension and had been treated by Chinese doctors in Beijing for years before his death.
Sihanouk reigned the country from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his voluntary abdication in 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni.
He was the king who led the country to gain independence from France in 1953.