159 Facts About Norodom Sihanouk

Norodom Sihanouk was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in various capacities throughout his long career, most often as both King and Prime Minister of Cambodia.

When his grandfather Monivong died in 1941, Sihanouk became king amidst French colonial rule.

Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in 1955 and was succeeded by his father, Suramarit, so as to directly participate in politics.

Norodom Sihanouk governed the country under one-party rule and suppressed political dissent.

Norodom Sihanouk encouraged Cambodians to fight the new government and backed the Khmer Rouge during the Cambodian Civil War.

Norodom Sihanouk returned as figurehead head of state after the Khmer Rouge's victory in 1975.

Norodom Sihanouk was placed under house arrest until Vietnamese forces overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

Norodom Sihanouk went into exile again and in 1981 formed FUNCINPEC, a resistance party.

Norodom Sihanouk abdicated again in 2004 and the Royal Council of the Throne chose his son Sihamoni as his successor.

Between 1941 and 2006, Norodom Sihanouk produced and directed 50 films, some of which he acted in.

Norodom Sihanouk participated in concerts at his palace during his second reign.

Norodom Sihanouk is remembered for his role in shaping modern Cambodia, particularly in leading the country to independence, although his reputation was damaged by his association with the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.

Norodom Sihanouk was the only child born of the union between Norodom Suramarit and Sisowath Kossamak.

Norodom Sihanouk received his primary education at the Francois Baudoin school and Nuon Moniram school in Phnom Penh.

In 1936, Norodom Sihanouk was sent to Saigon, where he pursued his secondary education at Lycee Chasseloup Laubat, a boarding school.

Under pressure from the Japanese, Norodom Sihanouk proclaimed Cambodia's independence and assumed the position of prime minister while serving as king at the same time.

Around this time, Norodom Sihanouk made two trips to Saumur, France, where he attended military training at the Armoured Cavalry Branch Training School in 1946, and again in 1948.

Norodom Sihanouk was made a reserve captain in the French army.

In early 1949, Norodom Sihanouk traveled to Paris with his parents to negotiate with the French government for more autonomy for Cambodia.

Yem Sambaur replaced him, but his appointment did not sit well with the Democrats, who in turn pressured Norodom Sihanouk to dissolve the national assembly and hold elections.

In October 1951, Thanh returned to Cambodia and was received by 100,000 supporters, a spectacle which Norodom Sihanouk saw as an affront to his regal authority.

Norodom Sihanouk ordered the Democrat-led government to arrest Thanh but was ignored.

Subsequently, civil demonstrations against the monarchy and the French broke out in the countryside, alarming Norodom Sihanouk, who began to suspect that the Democrats were complicit.

In June 1952 Norodom Sihanouk dismissed the Democrat nominee Huy Kanthoul and made himself prime minister.

In January 1953, Norodom Sihanouk re-appointed Penn Nouth as prime minister before leaving for France.

Once there, Norodom Sihanouk wrote to French President Vincent Auriol requesting that he grant Cambodia full independence, citing widespread anti-French sentiment among the Cambodian populace.

Subsequently, Norodom Sihanouk traveled to Canada and the United States, where he gave radio interviews to present his case.

Norodom Sihanouk took advantage of the prevailing anti-communist sentiment in those countries, arguing that Cambodia faced a Communist threat similar to that of the Viet Minh in Vietnam, and that the solution was to grant full independence to Cambodia.

Norodom Sihanouk returned to Cambodia in June 1953, taking up residence in Siem Reap.

Norodom Sihanouk organised public rallies calling for Cambodians to fight for independence, and formed a citizenry militia which attracted about 130,000 recruits.

In May 1954, Norodom Sihanouk sent two of his cabinet ministers, Nhiek Tioulong and Tep Phan, to represent Cambodia at the Geneva Conference.

On 2 March 1955, Norodom Sihanouk suddenly abdicated the throne and was in turn succeeded by his father, Suramarit.

Norodom Sihanouk appointed as director of national security Dap Chhuon, who ordered the national police to jail their leaders and break up their election rallies.

Once in office, Norodom Sihanouk introduced several constitutional changes, including extending suffrage to women, adopting Khmer as the sole official language of the country and making Cambodia a constitutional monarchy by vesting policy-making powers in the prime minister rather than the king.

Norodom Sihanouk viewed socialism as an ideal concept for establishing social equality and fostering national cohesion within newly independent Cambodia.

Between 1955 and 1960, Norodom Sihanouk resigned and retook the post of prime minister several times, citing fatigue caused by overwork.

The National Assembly nominated experienced politicians such as Sim Var and San Yun to become prime minister whenever Norodom Sihanouk took leave, but they similarly relinquished their posts each time, several months into their term, as cabinet ministers repeatedly disagreed over public policy matters.

In May 1955, Norodom Sihanouk had accepted military aid from the US.

Subsequently, Norodom Sihanouk began to suspect that the US was attempting to undermine his government and that it was lending covert support to the Democratic party, now without parliamentary representation, for that purpose.

Norodom Sihanouk developed a good impression of China, whose premier, Zhou Enlai, gave him a warm reception on his first visit there in February 1956.

When Norodom Sihanouk returned from China, Sarit Thanarat and Ngo Dinh Diem, leaders of Thailand and South Vietnam, respectively, both with pro-American sympathies, started to accuse him of pro-Communist sympathies.

At the debate, held at the Royal Palace, Norodom Sihanouk spoke in a belligerent tone, challenging the Democrat leaders to present evidence of malfeasance in his government and inviting them to join the Sangkum.

Norodom Sihanouk drafted left-wing politicians, including Hou Yuon, Hu Nim and Chau Seng, to stand as Sangkum candidates, with a view to winning left-wing support from the Pracheachon.

In January 1959 Norodom Sihanouk learned of the coup plans through intermediaries who were in contact with Chhuon.

Norodom Sihanouk then accused South Vietnam and the United States of orchestrating the coup attempt.

In 1961 Pracheachon's spokesperson, Non Suon, criticized Norodom Sihanouk for failing to tackle inflation, unemployment, and corruption in the country.

Norodom Sihanouk nevertheless allowed Sangkum's left-wing politicians to run again in the 1962 general elections, which they all won.

Norodom Sihanouk even appointed two left-wing politicians, Hou Yuon and Khieu Samphan, as secretaries for planning and commerce, respectively, after the election.

In November 1962, Norodom Sihanouk called on the US to stop supporting the Khmer Serei, which he believed they had been secretly doing through the CIA.

Norodom Sihanouk threatened to reject all economic aid from the US if they failed to respond to his demands, a threat he later carried out on 19 November 1963.

When Sarit, Diem, and US president John F Kennedy died in November and December 1963, Sihanouk rejoiced over their deaths, as he accused them of attempting to destabilise Cambodia.

Norodom Sihanouk organised concerts and granted civil servants extra leave time to celebrate the occasion.

When Norodom Sihanouk threatened to charge Khieu Samphan and Hou Yuon before a military tribunal, they fled into the jungle to join the Khmer Rouge, leaving Hu Nim behind.

Lon Nol resigned as prime minister in early May 1967, and Norodom Sihanouk appointed Son Sann in his place.

Zhou stepped in to placate Norodom Sihanouk, and compromised by instructing its embassy to send its publications to Cambodia's information ministry for vetting prior to distribution.

Norodom Sihanouk learned that Kennedy's widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, had expressed a desire to see Angkor Wat.

Jacqueline Kennedy's visit paved the way for Norodom Sihanouk to meet with Chester Bowles, the US ambassador to India.

Norodom Sihanouk was never asked to approve the B-52 bombings, and he never gave his approval.

Norodom Sihanouk encouraged ambassadors to write to Lon Nol directly, instead of going through Sihanouk, angering the latter.

In early January 1970, Norodom Sihanouk left Cambodia for medical treatment in France.

In January 1970, Norodom Sihanouk left Cambodia for a two-month holiday in France, spending his time at a luxury resort in the French Riviera.

Norodom Sihanouk, who was in Paris at the time, considered both returning to quell the protests and visiting Moscow, Beijing, and Hanoi.

Norodom Sihanouk opted for the latter, thinking that he could persuade its leaders to recall Viet Cong troops to their jungle sanctuaries, where they had originally established themselves between 1964 and 1969.

On 18 March 1970 the National Assembly voted to depose Norodom Sihanouk, allowing Lon Nol to assume emergency powers.

On that day, Norodom Sihanouk was in Moscow meeting Soviet prime minister Alexei Kosygin, who broke the news as he was being driven to the Moscow airport.

From Moscow, Norodom Sihanouk flew to Beijing, where he was received by Zhou Enlai.

On 23 March 1970, Norodom Sihanouk announced the formation of his resistance movement, the National United Front of Kampuchea.

Norodom Sihanouk encouraged the Cambodian populace to join him and fight against Lon Nol's government.

Norodom Sihanouk was revered by the Khmer peasantry as a god-like figure, and his endorsement of the Khmer Rouge had immediate effects.

Sometime later, on 5 May 1970, Norodom Sihanouk announced the formation of a government-in-exile known as the Royal Government of the National Union of Kampuchea, leading Communist countries including China, North Vietnam, and North Korea to break relations with the Lon Nol regime.

In Phnom Penh, a military trial convened on 2 July 1970, whereby Norodom Sihanouk was charged with treason and corruption in his capacity as Head of State.

Between 1970 and 1975, Norodom Sihanouk took up residence in state guesthouses at Beijing and Pyongyang, courtesy of the Chinese and North Korean governments, respectively.

In February 1973, Norodom Sihanouk traveled to Hanoi, where he started on a long journey with Khieu Samphan and other Khmer Rouge leaders.

At Siem Reap, Norodom Sihanouk visited the temples of Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei, and Bayon.

Norodom Sihanouk was appointed as its Head of State, a ceremonial position.

In September 1975, Norodom Sihanouk briefly returned to Cambodia to inter the ashes of his mother, before going abroad again to lobby for diplomatic recognition of Democratic Kampuchea.

Norodom Sihanouk returned on 31 December 1975 and presided over a meeting to endorse the constitution of Democratic Kampuchea.

Norodom Sihanouk was shocked to see the use of forced labour and population displacement carried out by the Khmer Rouge government, known as the Angkar.

From this point onwards Norodom Sihanouk was kept under house arrest at the royal palace.

On 1 January 1979, Norodom Sihanouk was taken from Phnom Penh to Sisophon, where he stayed for three days until 5 January, when he was taken back to Phnom Penh.

Norodom Sihanouk was taken to meet Pol Pot, who briefed him on the Angkar's plans to repulse Vietnamese troops.

On 6 January 1979, Norodom Sihanouk was allowed to fly to Beijing from Phnom Penh, where he was greeted by Zhou Enlai's successor, Deng Xiaoping.

On 9 January 1979, Norodom Sihanouk flew from Beijing to New York to attend the UN Security Council, where he simultaneously condemned the Khmer Rouge for orchestrating the Cambodian genocide as well as the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia.

Norodom Sihanouk subsequently sought asylum in China after making two unsuccessful asylum applications with the US and France.

Norodom Sihanouk appointed In Tam, who had briefly served as Prime Minister in the Khmer Republic, as the commander-in-chief of ANS.

The ANS needed military aid from China, and Deng seized the opportunity to sway Norodom Sihanouk into collaborating with the Khmer Rouge.

Norodom Sihanouk reluctantly agreed, and started talks in March 1981 with the Khmer Rouge and the Son Sann-led Khmer People's National Liberation Front on a unified anti-PRK resistance movement.

The CGDK was headed by Norodom Sihanouk, and functioned as a government-in-exile.

In July 1991 Norodom Sihanouk left FUNCINPEC altogether and was elected as the chairperson of the SNC.

On 23 October 1991, Norodom Sihanouk led the FUNCINPEC, Khmer Rouge, KPNLF, and PRK into signing the Paris Peace Accords.

Norodom Sihanouk subsequently returned to Phnom Penh on 14 November 1991.

Together with Hun Sen, Norodom Sihanouk rode in an open top limousine from Pochentong Airport all the way to the royal palace, greeting city residents who lined the streets to welcome his return.

Norodom Sihanouk left in November 1992 to seek medical treatment in Beijing, where he stayed for the next six months until his return to Cambodia in May 1993, on the eve of elections.

When general elections were held, FUNCINPEC, now headed by Sihanouk's son Norodom Ranariddh, won, while the Cambodian People's Party headed by Hun Sen came in second.

Norodom Sihanouk complied, and announced the formation of a Provisional National Government headed by him, with Hun Sen and Ranariddh as his deputies.

On 14 June 1993, Norodom Sihanouk was reinstated as the head of state in a Constituent Assembly session presided over by Ranariddh, who took the opportunity to declare the 1970 coup d'etat which overthrew Norodom Sihanouk as "illegal".

Norodom Sihanouk issued orders to officially rename the country from the State of Cambodia to simply "Cambodia", reinstating "Nokor Reach" as the National Anthem of Cambodia with some minor modifications to its lyrics, and the Cambodian flag to its pre-1970 design.

On 30 August 1993, Ranariddh and Hun Sen met with Norodom Sihanouk and presented two draft constitutions, one of them stipulating a constitutional monarchy headed by a king, and another a republic led by a head of state.

Norodom Sihanouk opted for the draft stipulating Cambodia a constitutional monarchy, which was ratified by the constituent assembly on 21 September 1993.

The new constitution came into force on 24 September 1993, and Norodom Sihanouk was reinstated as the King of Cambodia.

In turn, Norodom Sihanouk made Ranariddh and Hun Sen First and Second Prime Ministers, respectively.

Shortly after that, Norodom Sihanouk left for Beijing, where he spent several months for cancer treatment.

Again, both prime ministers rejected Norodom Sihanouk's proposal, arguing that Khmer Rouge's past intransigent attitude made the proposal unrealistic.

Norodom Sihanouk backed down, and expressed frustration that Hun Sen and Ranariddh had been ignoring him.

In July 1994, one of his sons, Norodom Sihanouk Chakrapong, led a failed coup attempt to topple the government.

Chakrapong called Norodom Sihanouk, who negotiated with government representatives to allow him to go into exile in Malaysia.

Norodom Sihanouk intervened to have Sirivudh detained at the interior ministry's headquarters, convinced that there was a secret plan to kill the latter if he were to remain in prison.

Norodom Sihanouk attempted to reduce tensions between FUNCINPEC and the CPP by assuring that FUNCINPEC would not leave the coalition government and that there were no reactionary elements planning to bring down Hun Sen or the CPP.

In March 1997, Norodom Sihanouk expressed his willingness to abdicate the throne, claiming that rising anti-royalist sentiment among the populace was threatening the monarchy's existence.

Norodom Sihanouk voiced displeasure with Hun Sen for orchestrating the clashes, but refrained from calling Ranariddh's ouster a "coup d'etat", a term which FUNCINPEC members used.

In September 1998, Norodom Sihanouk meditated political talks in Siem Reap after the FUNCINPEC and the Sam Rainsy Party staged protests against the CPP-led government for irregularities over the 1998 general elections.

Two months later, in November 1998, Norodom Sihanouk brokered a second round of political talks between the CPP and FUNCINPEC whereby an agreement was reached for another coalition government between the CPP and FUNCINPEC.

Norodom Sihanouk maintained a monthly bulletin in which he wrote commentaries on political issues and posted old photos of Cambodia in the 1950s and 1960s.

Hun Sen became offended by Ruom Rith's criticisms, and on at least two occasions in 1998 and 2003 persuaded Norodom Sihanouk to stop publishing his comments.

In July 2002, Norodom Sihanouk expressed concern over the absence of detailed constitutional provisions over the organization and functioning of the Cambodian throne council.

Norodom Sihanouk coaxed both parties to change their decision, stating that he would abstain from presiding over the ceremony as well if they did not comply with his wishes.

In February 2004, Norodom Sihanouk advocated and publicly backed same-sex marriage, at a time when the matter was relatively taboo and against Cambodia's backdrop as a conservative society and was praised for his support for the nation's LGBT demographic.

Norodom Sihanouk engaged in pursuing philanthropy with his establishment of the "Samdech Euv Team" whose primary purpose is to assist in humanitarian works and projects throughout the country, of which he would later dedicate much of himself during his retirement years.

On 6 July 2004, in an open letter, Norodom Sihanouk announced his plans to abdicate .

Norodom Sihanouk disapproved of the open voting system, calling upon Senate President Chea Sim not to sign the amendment.

On 6 October 2004, Norodom Sihanouk wrote a letter calling for the throne council to convene and select a successor.

In March 2005, Norodom Sihanouk accused Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam of encroaching into Cambodian territory, through unilateral border demarcation exercises without Cambodian participation.

Two months later, Norodom Sihanouk formed the Supreme National Council on Border Affairs, which he headed, to address these concerns.

Norodom Sihanouk issued a communique in July 2008 emphasising the Khmer architecture of the temple as well as ICJ's 1962 ruling of the temple in favour of Cambodia.

Between 2009 and 2011, Norodom Sihanouk spent most of his time in Beijing for medical care.

Norodom Sihanouk made a final public appearance in Phnom Penh on his 89th birthday and 20th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords on 30 October 2011.

Thereafter, Norodom Sihanouk expressed his intent to stay in Cambodia indefinitely, but returned to Beijing in January 2012 for further medical treatment at the advice of his Chinese doctors.

In January 2012, Norodom Sihanouk issued a letter in which he expressed his wish that his body be cremated after his death, and his ashes be interred in a golden urn.

On 15 October 2012, Norodom Sihanouk died of a heart attack at 1:20am, Phnom Penh time.

Two days later, Norodom Sihanouk's body was brought back from Beijing on an Air China flight, and about 1.2million people lined the streets from the airport to the royal palace to witness the return of Norodom Sihanouk's cortege.

Norodom Sihanouk's body lay in state at the royal palace for the next three months until the funeral was held on 1 February 2013.

In October 2013, a stupa featuring a bronze statue of Norodom Sihanouk was inaugurated next to the Independence Monument.

In July 2014, Norodom Sihanouk's ashes were interred at the silver pagoda next to those of one of his daughters, Kantha Bopha.

Norodom Sihanouk was at the forefront of Cambodian public life for more than 60 years, serving in various capacities and was one of the most consequential leaders in modern Cambodian history.

Norodom Sihanouk developed an interest in the cinema at a young age, which he attributed to frequent trips to the cinema with his parents.

Shortly after becoming king in 1941, Norodom Sihanouk made a few amateur films, and sent Cambodian students to study film-making in France.

Norodom Sihanouk went on to produce, direct, and act in eight more films between 1966 and 1969, roping in members of the royal family and military generals to star in his films.

Norodom Sihanouk expressed that his films were created with the intent of portraying Cambodia in a positive light.

In 1968, Norodom Sihanouk launched the Phnom Penh International Film Festival, which was held for a second time in 1969.

In both years, a special award category was designated, the Golden Apsara Prize, of which Norodom Sihanouk was its only nominee and winner.

In 1997, Norodom Sihanouk received a special jury prize from the International Film Festival of Moscow, where he revealed that he had received a budget ranging from to for each of his film productions from the Cambodian government.

Six years later, Norodom Sihanouk donated his film archives to the Ecole francaise d'Extreme-Orient in France and Monash University in Australia.

Norodom Sihanouk wrote at least 48 musical compositions between the late 1940s and the early 1970s, combining both traditional Khmer and Western themes into his works.

Norodom Sihanouk wrote nationalistic songs, meant to showcase the beauty of provincial towns and at the same time foster a sense of patriotism and national unity among Cambodians.

From a young age, Norodom Sihanouk learned to play several musical instruments including the clarinet, saxophone, piano, and accordion.

Later, while Norodom Sihanouk was living in exile during the 1980s, he hosted concerts to entertain diplomats whenever he visited the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Norodom Sihanouk was known by many formal and informal titles throughout his lifetime, and as aforementioned, the Guinness Book of World Records identifies Norodom Sihanouk as the royal who had served the greatest variety of state and political offices.

Norodom Sihanouk reverted to the title of Prince after he abdicated 1955, and in that year was given by his father and successor the title of "Samdech Preah Upayuvareach", which translates in English as "The Prince who has been King".

Norodom Sihanouk was referred to by another honorific, "His Majesty King Norodom Sihanouk The Great Heroic King King-Father of Khmer independence, territorial integrity and national unity".

Norodom Sihanouk was fluent in Khmer, French, and English, and learned Greek and Latin in high school.

Norodom Sihanouk suffered from diabetes and depression in the 1960s, which flared up again in the late 1970s while living in captivity under the Khmer Rouge.

In November 1992, Norodom Sihanouk suffered a stroke caused by the thickening of the coronary arteries and blood vessels.

Norodom Sihanouk's lymphoma went into remission in 1995, but returned again in 2005 in the gastric region.

Norodom Sihanouk suffered a third bout of lymphoma in 2008, and after prolonged treatment it went into remission the following year.

In 1960, Norodom Sihanouk built a personal residence at Chamkarmon District where he lived over the next ten years as the Head of State.

In 1971, Norodom Sihanouk moved to a larger residence in the city that once housed the French embassy.

Changsuwon was built near an artificial lake, and Norodom Sihanouk spent time taking boat trips there and shot a few films within the compound.

Norodom Sihanouk stated that his residences in Beijing and Pyongyang were guesthouses owned by the governments of China and North Korea, respectively, and that they did not belong to him.

On 4 March 1955 Sihanouk married Norodom Thavet Norleak, as his official wife, who was a cousin from his mother's side.