50 Facts About Norodom Sihamoni

Norodom Sihamoni became King on 14 October 2004, a week after the abdication of his father, Norodom Sihanouk.

Norodom Sihamoni is the eldest son of King Sihanouk and former Queen consort Norodom Monineath and is the fourth monarch from the royal House of Norodom.

Norodom Sihamoni was educated in Czechoslovakia and was known for his work as a cultural ambassador in Europe and as a classical ballet instructor when he was still a prince.

Norodom Sihamoni was born on Thursday 14 May 1953, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, when it was still a colonial protectorate within French Indochina.

Sihamoni has 14 half-brothers and half-sisters from his father; his only full sibling, a younger brother, Samdech Norodom Narindrapong, was born in 1954 and died in 2003.

The then-Prince Sihamoni first began his education in 1959, where he attended Norodom School, followed by Lycee Descartes School in Phnom Penh, developing a keen interest in the arts early on in his life.

In 1962, the young Norodom Sihamoni was sent to Prague in Czechoslovakia by his father to study abroad.

Norodom Sihamoni then concluded his secondary education at the National Prague Conservatory and was regarded as an able student, getting high marks.

Between 1971 and 1975, Norodom Sihamoni completed his higher education in classical dance and music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, culminating with the attainment of a Master's degree for which he wrote a thesis titled The Conception and Administration of Artistic Schools in Cambodia.

Norodom Sihamoni subsequently worked as a secretary for his father who spearheaded a resistance movement in response to the Vietnamese occupation.

Norodom Sihamoni was later president of the Khmer Dance Association there.

Norodom Sihamoni had previously refused an appointment as Cambodia's ambassador to France.

On 14 October 2004, Norodom Sihamoni was chosen as monarch by the Royal Council of the Throne, a special nine-member constitutional body that is tasked with electing the King of Cambodia.

One is the glorious golden-roofed royal palace, gaily illuminated by hundreds of festive lights in celebration of the announcement that the bachelor prince, Norodom Sihamoni, is to succeed his father King Norodom Sihanouk.

Norodom Sihamoni was then inaugurated and formally appointed as King on 29 October 2004 in a coronation ceremony centered at the Royal Palace in the capital.

King Norodom Sihamoni himself did not want the ceremonies to be too lavish because he did not wish for the impoverished country to spend too much money on the event, opting for a more modest affair.

Norodom Sihamoni was praised by observers for "being close to the people and having a gentle touch", though they noted he still needed time to independently carve out his role as monarch amid the influential role of his father, former King Sihanouk, notwithstanding his abdication.

Some Cambodian opposition figures have called for him to be more vocal and directly involved in the political issues of the country, like his predecessor, King-father Norodom Sihamoni Sihanouk was, contending that the King has the constitutional prerogative to do so, in terms of powers accorded to him.

Norodom Sihamoni eventually signed the treaty, after having been assured by government and legislative officials as well as other members of the royal family, that no land would be ceded to Vietnam as a result of the promulgation of the bilateral treaty.

Norodom Sihamoni had accused Prime Minister Sen of being involved, an accusation that the Prime Minister denies, though Rainsy later expressed regret in making the claim.

At the time, the move by Norodom Sihamoni was found to be encouraging by international observers as it indicated a conciliatory gesture that points to a reduction of political tensions and restoration of multi-party democracy in the country.

In 2009, Norodom Sihamoni, upon considering the appeals made to him for the review of the conviction verdict against opposition-affiliated journalist and editor Hang Chakra, who was jailed on charges of "criminal disinformation", sought the government's support for a prospective royal pardon.

In late 2009, amid then-strained diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Thailand, Norodom Sihamoni pardoned a Thai national, Siwarak Chutipongse, on humanitarian grounds after a request by multiple parties, including Siwarak's mother, the Pheu Thai Party and former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Norodom Sihamoni served as an advisor to the Cambodian government, which publicly backed Thaksin and resisted the extradition attempt from the Thai government.

Norodom Sihamoni implored for a de-escalation of tensions, including an end to the violence between the protestors and authorities, and for the parties to find common ground towards a resolution regarding their issues.

Norodom Sihamoni later encouraged the two sides to "continue to work together for the sake of stability, development and national unity" and for a time, there was a "culture of dialogue" between the rival political parties.

When it came to the formalization of this law through the required royal assent, Norodom Sihamoni was coincidentally overseas, thereby delegating the royal assent duties to the President of the Senate, who constitutionally serves as the acting head of state in the King's absence.

Regardless, commentators noted that it added to a perception that Norodom Sihamoni tends to be overseas to avoid having to give his signature to highly contentious legislations and that such trips are supposedly timed, which then trigger a delegation of responsibility to the next constitutional office holder.

In 2018, Norodom Sihamoni urged for Cambodians to vote in the national elections, notwithstanding calls made by exiled Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy to resist such a move and for the public to boycott the election.

Norodom Sihamoni had urged parliamentarians in both the National Assembly and Senate to protect the rights of all Cambodians and seek ways to bring about national unity and in bettering the lives of the overall populace, whilst highlighting the nation's long path towards peace and development.

Norodom Sihamoni, had granted a royal pardon for Rainsy's deputy and later successor, Kem Sokha who had defamation charges against him stemming from an alleged adultery, though his separate treason charge remained until he was convicted in early 2023.

At the ASEAN summit in November 2022, Norodom Sihamoni hosted regional leaders at the royal palace where he reinforced Cambodia's commitment to the bloc of nations and emphasized the continued importance of inter-state collaboration in addressing contemporary issues.

In February 2023, several months ahead of the 23 July general election, Norodom Sihamoni advocated, as he has done in prior years, for electoral participation amongst the public and for free elections to take place.

Norodom Sihamoni's call was backed by the National Election Committee whom urged the citizenry to heed the King's message, despite insinuations of bias levelled against him by former opposition leader Rainsy.

Subsequently, King Norodom Sihamoni officially appointed and sworn in Manet as the second Prime Minister of his reign along with the new cabinet and members of parliament as well as officiating the inaugural opening for the new legislative term.

King Norodom Sihamoni's reign has been focused on the wellbeing of the Khmer people.

Norodom Sihamoni has been described by some as a humble monarch because of his philanthropic endeavours and is well-known for carrying out humanitarian activities.

Additionally, Norodom Sihamoni is said to donate to the Cambodian Red Cross on a regular basis and has authorized royal grants for infrastructure, schools, orphanages, struggling communities, religious institutions, people affected by a disability, rehabilitation centres, mental health organizations, victims of violence, and sponsoring student's trips among others.

Norodom Sihamoni's philanthropy extends in the international context as well, like for instance, after Hurricane Katrina, the King made a personal good-will donation to victims of the storm.

Norodom Sihamoni has donated towards multiple relief efforts after the occurrence of natural disasters in China.

Amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, King Sihamoni, alongside Queen Mother Norodom Monineath has donated well over $1 million to the Royal Government of Cambodia's efforts to address the situation in Cambodia, inspiring a concerted public campaign across the country.

Norodom Sihamoni remains an ardent advocate for Cambodian arts and culture.

Norodom Sihamoni presided over the torch lighting ceremony in March 2023 at Angkor Wat marking the start of the torch relay for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games that was held in Phnom Penh that same year in May.

Furthermore, Norodom Sihamoni has been commended for his dedication to archaeological preservation, conservation and research, with specificity to Cambodia.

Norodom Sihamoni represented Cambodia at the 2019 Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in Beijing aimed at enhancing regional cooperation and intercultural exchange.

Norodom Sihamoni is featured on the 200,500,2,000,10,000,20,000 and 100,000 riels respectively and his portrait, alongside the King-father and Queen-mother is prominent across many parts of the country, illustrative of their highly revered status.

Norodom Sihamoni further added that the King does not have his own private property.

However, these factors, Sen noted were irrelevant, as more importantly, Norodom Sihamoni has a generous heart towards his people as evident by his philanthropic contributions.

Besides his native Khmer, Norodom Sihamoni speaks Czech fluently, being the only ruling monarch in the world to do so.

Norodom Sihamoni has been the subject of documentaries and directed a few films himself.