Former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk Dies At 89

Cambodia Former King Norodom Sihanouk Dies Aged 89 -- BBC

Norodom Sihanouk, the former Cambodian king who was a key figure through decades of upheaval, has died.

The former king died at a hospital in the Chinese capital, Beijing, after having a heart attack. He had been in poor health for several years.

Sihanouk, who was 89, came to the throne in 1941 and led Cambodia to independence from France in 1953.

Despite long periods of exile and his abdication in 2004 due to ill health, he remained an influential figure.

Sihanouk abdicated in 2004 in favour of his son, King Norodom Sihamoni.

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More News On The Death Of Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk

Former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk dies at 89 -- CNN
Cambodia's former king Norodom Sihanouk dies at 89 -- The Guardian
Cambodia’s Mercurial Former King, Norodom Sihanouk, Dies at 89 -- Time
Cambodia Mourns Former King Who Shaped Decades of History -- Voice of America
Cambodian King Left Mixed Legacy -- Patrick Barta, Wall Street Journal
The Fantasy of King Sihanouk -- Philip Gourevitch, The New Yorker
Cambodia's Former King Leaves Mixed Legacy -- Daniel Schearf, Voice of America
King Norodom Sihanouk obituary -- The Guardian
Norodom Sihanouk -- The Telegraph

My Comment: I met Norodom Sihanouk by accident at the Kaiyaun Temple in Quanzhou, China in 1988. I was the junior member of a visiting business delegation, and we came across him while he was leaving the temple. There is not much more that I can add to that .... the only memory I have of that experience is remembering how short of a man he was.