Former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk greets to well-wishers upon his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport, Cambodia, file photo.
PHNOM PENH - One hundred thousand mourners are expected to take to the streets this week when Cambodia receives the body of its former monarch, Norodom Sihanouk, who died in Beijing early Monday of a heart attack.
Born in 1922, Sihanouk was a defining leader in Southeast Asian politics for decades, leading Cambodia through its independence and aligning himself with the Khmer Rouge after he was ousted from power in a US-backed coup in 1970.
He was revered by many citizens of Cambodia, which is a constitutional monarchy with a god-king tradition from ancient times.
His son, King Norodom Sihamoni, and Prime Minister Hun Sen traveled to Beijing on Monday and are expected to return with Sihanouk’s body Wednesday.
Sihanouk’s body will be interred at the Royal Palace for viewing for three months before a cremation ceremony, Royal Palace officials and government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told VOA Khmer.
Mourning Continues for Cambodia's 'King Father'
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Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
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Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
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Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
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Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
5/15Cambodians pray in front of the main gate of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to mourn the death of former King Norodom Sihanouk, October 15, 2012.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
6/15Cambodian family members ride on a motorbike as they head back from their home village, passing by portraits of former King Norodom Sihanouk, left, and his wife Queen Monineath, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, October 15, 2012.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
7/15A Cambodian woman prays in front of the main gate of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to mourn the death of former King Norodom Sihanouk, October 15, 2012.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
8/15Monineath Sihanouk, wife of former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk, sits on the backseat of a car upon arrival at a hospital where the king received treatment, in Beijing, China, October 15, 2012.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
9/15Former Cambodian king, Norodom Sihanouk, center left, greets well-wishers before his departure for China from Phnom Penh International Airport, Cambodia, in this September 2, 2006 file photo.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
10/15Former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk greets well-wishers upon his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport, Cambodia, in this May 26, 2006, file photo.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
11/15In this October 20, 2004 file photo, Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk, left, introduces his son and successor, King Norodom Sihamoni upon their arrival at Phnom Penh airport, in Cambodia.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
12/15Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk bids goodby to a Buddhist monk at a temple in Siem Reap, in northern Cambodia, on September 1, 1997.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
13/15Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk is greeted by Buddhist nuns at a temple in Siem Reap on September 1, 1997.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
14/15Cambodian students hold portraits of former King Norodom Sihanouk, right, King Norodom Sihamoni, and flowers during an Independence Day celebration at the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
15/15Then Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk stands beside flowers given by the Chinese government during a meeting with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo (not seen) in Beijing, October 30, 2006.
Cambodians entered a second day of mourning Tuesday for their revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, as preparations were made to return his body from China. Tearful mourners placed a small wreath outside the royal palace in the Cambodian capital and offered prayers for the man they called "King-Father," who died of a heart attack in Beijing Monday.
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Cambodians were saddened by the news Monday. Sihanouk had made frequent donations to the poor, like Hor Seang, 83, who began sobbing when she heard the news. “He was very kind, and I hugged him once,” she told VOA Khmer in an interview in Kampong Speu province. “But now that he’s dead, I really pity him.”
Venerable monk Sim Mony, chief of Sras Pagoda in Kampong Speu, said the former king “was our shade, and he shared the people’s difficulty and he was very good.”
Flags will fly at half staff through Oct. 21, and Cambodian television stations have been ordered to refrain from programming that is too comedic or violent, in reverence.
