The death of Cambodia’s former king, Norodom Sihanouk, has created a void on the South Asian political scene which he dominated for 60 years. Though many Cambodians are too young to have emotional ties with him, Sihanouk spent a lifetime, trying to offer a better life to his people.
Sihanouk’s legacy will be hotly debated. From a king who made movies, painted, composed music and had an appetite for fast cars and food, to a monarch who was adored as a near-deity, his life will be studied by historians. His critics have accused him of running a medieval state as a ruler in western dress, but the fact remains that his heart remained with the Cambodian people.
Having driven the French out early in his life and then stepping down from the throne, he was responsible for moving the country towards neutrality at the height of the Cold War. But when history is written, he will also be remembered for joining the Khmer Rouge-dominated rebels, an alliance which critics say opened the way to the Khmer Rouge holocaust.
