Phnom penh: The 13th anniversary of His Majesty the King-Father Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk (Preah Borom Ratanak Kaudh)’s passing (Oct. 15, 2012 – Oct. 15, 2025) was commemorated across Cambodia today. This morning in Phnom Penh, high-ranking delegations of the Senate, National Assembly, government, as well as ministries and institutions, took turns to lay wreaths at the late King-Father’s Memorial Statue, located in a public park east of the Monument of Independence in Phnom Penh. Meanwhile, municipal and provincial authorities also held ceremonies to pray for the soul of Preah Borom Ratanak Kaudh.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, in a message posted on his social media platform this morning, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, President of the Senate and Chairman of the Supreme Privy Council to His Majesty the King, expressed his sincere gratitude to His Majesty the late King-Father for his sacrifice for the supreme interest of the nation and wished his soul rest in peace. His Majesty the K
ing-Father Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk passed away on Oct. 15, 2012, at 01:20 am (time in Phnom Penh) in Beijing, China, at the age of 90 from natural causes.
October 15 has been set as a national holiday in Cambodia to commemorate the late King-Father’s sacrifice for the nation. Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk was born on Oct. 31, 1922, as the only son of HRH Prince Norodom Suramarit and HRH Princess Sisowath Kossomak Nearirath Serey Vatthana.
Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk became the King of the Kingdom of Cambodia in April 1941, leading Cambodia to full independence from France in 1953. In 1955, he abdicated to his father and founded the Sangkum Reastr Niyum (SRN), a country development movement that won a significant victory in the legislative election. At that time, Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk became the Prime Minister of Cambodia and the head of state in 1960 after the death of his father.
On Mar. 18, 1970, during an official visit to the USSR, Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk was ousted from pow
er by a Coup d’Etat. He then became the President of the Cambodian resistance (FUNK). In April 1975, he became the head of state of Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge regime), but he resigned in 1976.
From the fall of Democratic Kampuchea on Jan. 7, 1979, to 1990, Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk stayed out of the country. He returned in 1991 and became the King of Cambodia in 1993 until he abdicated in October 2004. After the abdication, he often stayed in China for medical treatment until his passing.