Phnom Penh, Cambodia (AP) - He is a lot of things in Cambodia, he helped to browse half a century of war and genocide - Respected independent hero, the ruthless King and the Prime Minister, the collaborators of communism, eccentric playboy avid filmmaker.
Perhaps most important, the former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk is a wily political survivor, reinvented himself several times in his often gorgeous life.
Monday, 89-year-old Sihanouk in Beijing, he had to accept the treatment of various diseases since the January death of heart attack.
First by the French in 1941, crowned 18-year-old king, Sihanouk saw his Southeast Asian countries, the transition from the colonial to the Kingdom, the regime supported by the United States, the U.S. bombing of the area to this day is still the Khmer Rouge killing fields - a fragile experiments in a democratic system.
He as a feudal autocratic monarchy, but he said he is pro-democracy camp. He is sing love songs carefully designed state banquet brought his French Poodle peace negotiations, charm foreign dignitaries, such as Jacqueline Kennedy.
He also painted, fielded a palace soccer team and led his own jazz band music. His appetite extended to fast cars, food and women. He married at least five times - some say, 6 - and father of 14 children.
When the murderous Khmer Rouge to seize power in the 1970s, he was branded as collaborators. However, he eventually became their captives, the regime lost his five children. Later, in the 1990s - the end to Cambodia's long civil war, the United Nations-brokered deal - he rewrite that he is a peacemaker and a constitutional monarch.
Sihanouk in the twilight of his life, suffering from colon cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Prince Sisowath Thomico, members of the royal family, is Sihanouk's assistant and nephew, the former king died before dawn Monday.
"His death is a great loss to the Cambodian Prince Thomico said, and added that Sihanouk dedicated their lives to the" sake of his entire nation, the state and the people of Cambodia. "
In 2004, Sihanouk announced abdicated the throne, on the grounds of his poor health. The move paves the way for his son, Norodom Sihamoni, to take his place.
Monday, Sihamoni fly to Prime Minister Hun Sen to retrieve the body of Sihanouk. The national flag flew half staff, and the Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the former king's body is repatriated on Wednesday, the official mourning will be held one week. The cremation ceremony will be held within three months, in accordance with Buddhist tradition.
Although officials said they expected to be more than 100,000 to line the route from the airport to the Royal Palace Sihanouk's body returned, the immediate reaction seems muted in the capital, part of the reason is because it is a holiday, it a lot people, the town.
One of those who mourn the 67-year-old the YOS Sekchantha, he said, she offered prayers for his soul rest in peace.
"I do not know a lot about politics, but the King's father was a really good leader, and his county and people are concerned about," she said, tears welled up in her eyes.
However, many of the Cambodian people, too young, a person in the past two decades has been cast a shadow over the country's current political strongman Hun Sen emotional bond.
In January of this year, Sihanouk asked in Cambodia and the Buddhist tradition, he was cremated. He asked, his ashes were placed in a casket, the best is made of gold, and placed in the palace of the pagoda.
Born October 31, 1922 in French colonial Indochina, Sihanouk enjoys a pampered childhood. In 1941, the Frenchman crowned him king, rather than other closer relatives line the throne, because they think that chubby, giggling Prince will be very easy to control.
They are the first many people underestimate him, and the French in 1953.
In 1955, King Norodom Sihanouk stepped down from the throne, organized a mass political party and continue to organize various forms of government and national head position.
Through all these years, he led Cambodia height of the Cold War to An Zhongli, one of the founders of the Non-Aligned Movement.
In 1965, he severed ties with Washington, U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War shifted to high gear. But to 1969, worried improve the land of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Cambodia, and he proposed a new attitude with the United States, and turned to leave China.
Sihanouk's primary task is to allow Cambodia's war, but he could not. U.S. aircraft bombed Vietnam increased regularity in the shelter of communism in Cambodia, in his public protests. Privately, U.S. officials believe, he gave permission to the default attack near the eastern border of Cambodia Vietnamese communism sanctuary.
Cambodia is a play on the inside. Sihanouk sharp criticism, accusing him of running medieval Western dress as a reincarnation of an ancient Khmer ruler.
"I am Sihanouk," he once said, "all Cambodians are my children."
In fact, many people worship the Prince Sihanouk as a near-god.
However, in 1970, Sihanouk was overthrown US-backed coup came when he traveled abroad, including a weight loss clinic stay in France. He spent the years of loneliness, lavish exile in Beijing.
In order to regain the throne, he joined communism dominated by the Khmer Rouge insurgency, he was overthrown. Only a few years ago, his government has been suppressing them in urban and rural.
Only a few hundred of their number, until the coup, but his presence gave them a legitimacy they never enjoyed.
The alliance left Sihanouk open to subsequent criticism of the Khmer Rouge holocaust, he opened the way. But his communist group relations have been strained.
"The Khmer Rouge did not like me, I know. Oh, la, la ... This is very clear, and I, he said:" In an interview in 1973. "When they no longer need me, they will spit me like a cherry pit."
When the Khmer Rouge to seize power in 1975, Sihanouk returned home. However, he was detained, and he ordered the execution of former rebels. Chinese leaders Zhou Enlai personally intervened to save him.
Sihanouk is under house arrest in the royal palace, the Khmer Rouge ran the extreme radical Maoist regime from 1975 to 1979, emptying the city, to create a vast network of labor camps. It is estimated that 1.7 million Cambodians were executed or died of disease and starvation in their rule.
1978 Vietnamese invasion overthrew the Khmer Rouge. To get rid of the Vietnamese state-of-the-art in Phnom Penh, Sihanouk, in exile in Beijing and North Korea.
From there, he nominally led by guerrilla groups - including his former Khmer Rouge captors - fighting the Vietnamese-installed puppet regime, an unlikely alliance. The war lasted a decade.
Sihanouk is a unified digital, however, continue to lead the United Nations to support a temporary structure, went to Cambodia until the 1993 elections.
In the same year, Sihanouk re-ascended the throne the traditional Khmer coronation. North Korea's bodyguards returned to his palace and tourism rural loans, the country of his beloved father to assume new roles - even though many worship, Cambodia hopes he had the return of direct rule.
But a bright future elections soon disappear.
In the opinion polls after four years, Hun Sen launched a violent coup, he was still in power.
In the last years of his life, Sihanouk's popularity and influence receded. Although older people in rural areas still maintain his reverence, the young generation regarded him as a number of past and partly responsible for Cambodia's tragedy.
Rarely lost speech, he became a prolific blog for some time, published his view of current affairs and the controversy of the past. His text was in their own hands - his website features images of letters, usually in France in a small cursive handwritten annotations, clippings, aroused his interest.
Track of his production, but he fell further from the public eye, in Beijing to spend more and more time in the doctor's care.
Strive to live Sihanouk has suffered from poor health since the early 1990s. He has endured cancer, brain damage, arteries, heart, lung, liver and eye diseases.



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