Historical figure
Norodom Sihamoni
Norodom Sihamoni, a former dance teacher and former Cambodian envoy to UNESCO, has been King of Cambodia since 2004.
King Norodom Sihamoni has been King of Cambodia since his coronation in October 2004.[1] Before he took the throne, he spent much of his life abroad as a dancer, a dance teacher and Cambodia's representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).[1][2]
Early life and dance
Sihamoni was born in Phnom Penh in May 1953. In 1962 he was sent to school in Prague, Czechoslovakia. In the early 1970s he earned a first degree in Western classical dance and music at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He went on to a master's degree there, with a thesis on how arts schools in Cambodia should be planned and run.[1]
He settled in France in 1981. For years he taught Western classical dance and the teaching of the arts at several well-known dance conservatories. He also led the Khmer Dance Association as its president.[1]
Envoy to UNESCO
Sihamoni turned down an offer to become Cambodia's ambassador to France. In 1993 he agreed to become the country's permanent representative to UNESCO in Paris, and he held the post until 2004.[1] Cambodianess wrote that he worked hard to have Khmer classical dance and Cambodian shadow theater inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage.[1]
Coming to the throne
The 1993 constitution states: "The King of Cambodia shall reign but shall not govern."[1] It provides for a nine-member Royal Council of the Throne to choose each new king. Its seats go to the prime minister, the heads of the Mohanikay and Thammayut Buddhist orders, and the president and two vice presidents of each house of parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate.[1] The council had been inactive since 1993 when, in October 2004, Cambodian leaders passed a long-awaited law that let it elect a monarch.[3]
On October 14, 2004, the council met at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. In a meeting of under 40 minutes, it chose Sihamoni as king by a unanimous secret ballot.[3][1] Chea Sim, who led the Senate and was serving as acting head of state, announced the result. As king, Sihamoni also became head of state and supreme commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.[3]
He was crowned at the Royal Palace on October 29, 2004. Eight bearers carried him to the palace on a golden litter, with royal guards and ceremonial musicians. Standing before the throne, he three times took this oath: "I swear to abide by the constitution and laws of the kingdom and am committed to serve the interests of the state and the people."[2] Fifty-two Buddhist monks chanted blessings, one for each year of his life as counted by the traditional Cambodian zodiac. In a ritual bathing, water from the Kulen Mountains was poured over him to cleanse him and add to his standing.[2] The Associated Press called him Cambodia's first new king in 50 years.[2] In his first speech, the next day, he promised to be the faithful and devoted servant of his people.[1]
Reign
Cambodianess wrote that he kept a modest, low-profile manner as king and often helped people without public notice. In 2005 the government moved the northern campus of the Royal University of Fine Arts to a remote site in Russei Keo district, reached only by a dirt road and often flooded. The king quietly set up a free bus service for its students.[1]
His duties include visits abroad. In November 2023 he met UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, and he met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on an official visit to France. In April 2024 he paid a state visit to Japan, and in August 2024 he visited China. In October 2024 he spoke at the 19th Francophonie Summit in France, the meeting of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.[1]
At home, he gave money and goods such as rice, blankets and mosquito nets to more than 400 farming families in need in June 2023. In August 2024, more than 500 elderly artists in need received similar gifts from him. On September 24, 2024, he opened the Constitution Monument near the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh. In his speech he spoke of the constitution, promulgated on September 24, 1993, as the cornerstone of the country's stability.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Cambodianess, Michelle Vachon, King Norodom Sihamoni: 20th Anniversary of the Coronation of the Country's 21st Century Monarch (October 29, 2024)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 NBC News, The Associated Press, Cambodia crowns new king (October 29, 2004)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Cambodia Daily, Yun Samean, Throne Council Selects Sihamoni to be the Next King (October 15, 2004)