LTO Cambodia: Royal Palace

Showing posts with label Royal Palace. Show all posts

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Death of Sihanouk: 118 days of links

The Cambodia Daily, October 16, 2012

'King Father Norodom Sihanouk Dies at 89'

The Cambodia Daily also published a sensitive and informed obituary online the morning of Oct 15 within hours of Sihanouk's death, ('The Cambodia Daily: King Father Norodom Sihanouk Dies at 89'.)

The following list of links to articles covers the death and funeral of King Father Norodom Sihanouk from the day of his death through today. It is not comprehensive but (I believe) includes most of the major articles on the subject as well as articles addressing all of the important events, turns and announcements related to the death of the King Father. Articles in bold are of special note of some sort - either particularly good, contain unique content or made some sort of significant impact on the on-going discussion of Sihanouk's death. Bolding does not necessarily mean that I think the article is good or agree with the content. For example, The Fantasy of King Sihanouk by Philip Gourevitch was a particularly awful piece, inaccurate and biased, but generated a lot of reaction and discussion and led to one of the most interesting and heart-felt pieces on Sihanouk (and my personal favorite,) An Ode to Norodom Sihanouk—A Rock Star King by Kevin Barrington. The Cambodia Daily and VOA both offer rich sources of information on the death of Sihanouk and are available online. The Phnom Penh Post also published several informative articles over the course of the past three months, but as the Post articles are only available online for a short period without subscription, I have not included them in this list.

CTN News (video, See 9:47): Face SM Norodom Sihanouk in the Moon, Oct 22
Au Cambodge, on voit le roi-père Sihanouk dans la lune, Oct 23

The Cambodia Daily: Monks Stage Mass Prayer at Palace for Late King Father, Oct 22

LTO Cambodia blog: Death of Sihanouk: Day 9, Prayer, Oct 23

The Cambodia Daily: King, Queen Mother Join Crowds at Royal Palace, Oct 24

LTO Cambodia blog: Death of Sihanouk: Day 11, Waiting, Oct 25

The Independent: Trail of the unexpected: Cambodia - for king and country, Oct 26
Soma Norodom's blog: My Most Controversial column, We Should Be United, Oct 26

LTO Cambodia blog: Sihanouk Photos, Oct 28

A cremation fit for a King, Oct 30
LTO Cambodia blog: Death of Sihanouk: Day 16, Oct 30
The Cambodia Daily: King Father Likely to Be Cremated by February, Oct 30

LTO Cambodia blog: Mourners, Monks and Nuns, Oct 31

The Cambodia Daily: Remembering the King, Norodom Sihanouk, Nov 1

An Ode to Norodom Sihanouk—A Rock Star King by Kevin Barrington

The Cambodia Daily: King Father’s Body to Be Cremated on February 4, Nov 27
The Cambodia Daily: City Quiet as Water Festival Canceled, Nov 27
China Daily: Former Cambodian king Sihanouk to be cremated, Nov 27

Foreign Dignitaries to attend funeral, Jan 15

Travelfish: King Father’s funeral: What to expect, Jan 16

The Cambodia Daily: Late King Sihanouk’s Cremation Site Will Cost $5 Million, Jan 17
Procession route announcement (Khmer), Jan 17

K440: Royal Funeral Procession Route and Times, Jan 18

Living in Phnom Penh blog: Preparations underway for funeral of late Cambodian King Father Sihanouk, Jan 21

John Vink: Funeral Rehearsal Take #2, Jan 26

Bangkok Post: Yingluck to attend Sihanouk cremation, Jan 28

The Cambodia Daily: Gun Salute Tested Before King Father’s Funeral, Jan 28
The Cambodia Daily: Final Preparations Put in Place for Sihanouk’s Cremation, Jan 28

New Mandala: Norodom Sihanouk’s wonderful, horrible life, An interview with Milton Osbourne, part 1 by Susan Cunningham, Jan 30
New Mandala: Sihanouk's Revenge, An interview with Milton Osbourne, part 2 by Susan Cunningham
AFP: Cambodia pardons 400 prisoners for funeral of ex-king, Jan 30

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Funeral of Sihanouk: Day 7, the end

This morning urns containing the ashes of the late King Father Sihanouk were returned from the Veal Preah Man crematorium to the Royal Palace via an elaborate procession, the King and Queen Mother in attendance, the ashes borne by a the same Hang Bird hearse that carried the King Father's coffin when he was returned from China 3 months ago. Though there have been reports that the ashes are to be placed in the 'Kantha Bopha Stupa' at the Silver Pagoda per the late King Father's wishes, this has not yet been confirmed. The procession of the ashes to the Palace was the final public act of the funeral, effectively bringing to a close the week long funeral and mourning period.

By midday, most of the streets in the Palace area that had been shut for several days were reopened or at least partially opened with most of the orange and white barricades removed. (Sothearos Blvd in front of the Palace remained closed, but has been for almost a year now, somewhat inexplicably and unrelated to the death of the King Father.) Motor traffic flowed freely on Sisowath Quay, Street 240, Street 214 and Street 19 and though the roads around Veal Preah Man were still mostly blocked to motor traffic, pedestrians were able to move unimpeded through the area.

All of the offering tables in front of the Royal Palace are now gone, only a line of incense bowls filled with spent joss sticks remain. By late afternoon workers were collecting the piles of dead offering flowers from the front of the Palace into hand carts and hauling them away, leaving a trail of rotting brown lotus buds and stems along Sothearos. The Palace guards were out of their dress whites and back in khaki. Black ribbons, funerary pendents and Sihanouk posters will still on sale from street vendors, but the number of vendors was less than half of the day before. A few mourners linger in the area, but the crowds are gone, back to ordinary life, many presumably returning to the countryside from whence they came. At 5PM a couple of dozen mourners still stood at front (east) gate of Veal Preah Man, and perhaps a dozen more at the north gate. When I passed around sunset, the Palace park, which has been the center of mourning activity for the last 3+ months, was all but empty of mourners, only two old ladies quietly paying their final respects.

The funeral complete, table talk is now turning quickly to Chinese New Year, Cambodia's most popular unofficial holiday, coming up on the 10th.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Kantha Bopha Memorial

HRH Princess Kantha Bopha Memorial Sanctuary at the Silver Pagoda (next to the Royal Palace)

The late King Father Sihanouk was cremated two days ago. Yesterday the ashes were collected from the crematorium (Veal Preah Man) and most were taken by royal barge to Chaktomuk and scattered to the Mekong River. Some of the ashes will be taken back to the Royal Palace to be placed in a 'Diamond Urn' and kept there. AFP reported that an unnamed Palace official said "the royal urn containing the King-Father's remains will be kept in the Kantha Bopha stupa," which would make a very touching final resting place for the late King Father.

Princess Kantha Bopha was the beloved daughter of King Sihanouk and Princess Sisowath Pongsanmoni, born in 1948 when Sihanouk was a young King and Cambodia still under French colonial rule. She died of leukemia in 1952 at the age of 3 (or 4). It is said that King Sihanouk was inconsolably grief stricken, even carrying the urn containing her ashes when traveling abroad. In 1960 Sihanouk erected a memorial sanctuary to the Princess (pictured above) on the grounds of Wat Preah Keo Morokat (the 'Silver Pagoda') next to the Royal Palace, the sanctuary set amongst the stupas of Cambodian Kings.

The sanctuary is referred to as the 'Kantha Bopha Memorial Sanctuary' in Julio Jeldres' authoritative 'The Royal Palace of Phnom Penh' (1999.) I'm not sure if this is also the said "Kantha Bopha stupa" of the AFP article, but am unaware of any other structure on the Palace/Pagoda grounds of that name.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Funeral of Sihanouk: Day 5, ashes

Sunset on the Palace
The 'Four Faces' crowning the spire of the Throne Hall

at the Royal Palace. Sunset, February 5, 2013

The late King Father Norodom Sihanouk was cremated yesterday evening at the Veal Preah Man (Meru) next to the Royal Palace. This morning the ashes of the pyre were collected from the crematorium and transported by procession to the the royal funerary barge docked near the Preah Ong Dong Ar Temple in front of the Royal Palace area on the Tonle Sap River. The barge, pulled by a tug boat, ferried the ashes and attendees a short distance to the confluence of the Mekong River, the 'Chaktomuk,' literally translated, the 'Four Faces' of the Mekong, where most of the ashes were lowered to the river in sacks, scattered to the waters.

With the ashes gone, the tiered Royal parasol that crowned Veal Preah Man (Meru) was removed, and stood conspicuous in its absence today. The remaining ashes will be returned to the Palace and ultimately the 'Silver Pagoda' where, according to AFP, they will be placed in the "Kantha Bopha stupa," King Sihanouk's beloved daughter, Kantha Bopha, who died as a child.

The Chaktomuk, literally translated the 'Four Faces,' is the riverine crossroads in the heart of Cambodia where the Mekong River and its tributary the Tonle Sap meet and connect Phnom Penh to the 'four corners' of Cambodia - the old Angkorian capital to the west, Laos to the north and the South China Sea to the south and east, loosely quartering into the four cardinal point. When the Khmer capital moved from Angkor to the banks of the confluence of the Mekong in the 15th century, the area was known as 'Chaktomuk,' only later becoming 'Phnom Penh.' This move also reflected a fundamental shift in the nature of the Khmer empire, from an agrarian society to a trade based society, harkening back to the old empire of Funan.

The Four Faces is also a theme echoed throughout Khmer art and architecture. The spire of Throne Hall of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh is crowned by Four Faces, the design of which is said to have received inspiration from the Four Face monuments of Bayon temple at Angkor. Today, Sihanouk was laid to final rest at the Chaktomuk, the Four Faces, at the geographic and spiritual heart of post-Angkorian Cambodia.

Spires of the Throne Hall of the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh (2011). The Palace sits on Sothearos Blvd. about 100 meters off river, overlooking the Chaktomuk.

'Four faces' at Angkor, Bayon, Angkor Thom, Siem Reap province, circa 13th century AD.

Map of the area around the confluence of the Mekong River, Chaktomuk, Cambodia

Veal Preah Man with tiered-parasol removed. Feruary 5, 2013, 5:00PM.

Royal funerary barge, its duty discharged, being tugged into port. The Chaktomuk ('Four Faces' of the Mekong River) in the background.)

Empty, barricaded street in front of the Royal Palace. Most of the area remained closed to the public today, though the police seemed a bit looser in enforcement. People (Cambodians) that I spoke to on the street continued to complain about being kept away from the funeral and the security measures in general. Everybody seems to have a story of some country person that had gone to extraordinary lengths to travel to Phnom Penh for the funeral, only to be denied access. Other Cambodians say that despite the heavy police presence, crime has in fact been rife, recounting tales of pickpockets, robberies and assaults in the riverfront area, adding that while the police have been effective at protecting the elite and keeping the public away from the funeral, they have done little else. I don't have any confirmation of these claims of increased crime, but true or not, it likely reflects an increasing frustration with how security and crowd control have been handled.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Funeral of Sihanouk: Day 4, cremation

The pyre lit 20 minutes earlier, smoke emanates from Veal Preah Man.

Rest in Peace King Sihanouk.

Today, day 4 of King Father Norodom Sihanouk's funeral, was the day of the primary ceremony and the cremation. The ceremony was attended by family, friends, monks, government officials and foreign dignitaries. Dozens of journalists and photographers were in evidence. Most of the area was sealed off to the general public. The ceremony appeared to come off without a hitch, culminating in the lighting of the funeral pyre and smoke emanating from the crematorium, sometimes profusely. Afterward, there was another cannon salute, more fireworks, and the barricades keeping the public at bay were opened shortly thereafter. The Palace area was almost immediately filled with what I would estimate to be in the tens of thousands of people.

Hotels around Veal Preah Man were instructed to cover their windows to

prevent people from looking down on the area.

Mid-afternoon. Dignitaries and other attendees begin to arrive at Veal Preah Man.

The entire area around Veal Preah Man (Meru) and the Royal Palace was closed to the general public. Only those with passes, people that lived in the surrounding buildings, a smattering of tourists that happened to be staying at hotels within the area, and a fortunate few that somehow managed to finagle their way past the cordon were able to get close enough to Veal Preah Man to have a view of the proceedings. This small group of mourners sat in a small alley opposite the north gate of Veal Preah Man (Meru.)

Dozens of foreign dignitaries came to pay their respects, passing slowly

through the crematorium and exiting by the north door.

The honor gaurd's duty complete, they make their final retreat from the crematorium.

The King.

Smoke rises from the crematorium. 6:54PM.

Mourner at north gate of Veal Preah Man. The pyre lit and smoke rising.

Shortly after the cremation, I left Veal Preah Man, walked to the Palace area and then north up Sisowath Quay, all of which was still almost completely empty of people. At Street 154, thousands and thousands of people who had been kept away from the funeral area were waiting on the other side of a barricade. About 10 minutes later the police opened parts of the barricade and began to let people through...

Within 15 minute the Royal Palace area, including the riverfront park, the Palace park, Sisowath Quay and Sothearos Blvd in front of the Palace was filled with people, laying flowers at the Palace, trying to get a glimpse of Veal Preah Man and the rising smoke, sitting in the parks and street watching a replay of the funeral proceedings on the giant TV mounted on the face of the Palace...

Watching the big TV

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Funeral of Sihanouk: Day 3

Riverfront vendors selling Sihanouk posters and photos.

Today, day 3 of King Father Norodom Sihanouk's funeral, was much like yesterday. The official proceedings, even as stated in the official program, were the "same as Day 2." The Royal Palace park and the road immediately in front of Veal Preah Meru (Sothearos Blvd) remained closed. The King and Queen Mother attended religious ceremonies at the crematorium in the early evening and people crowded at two of the gates (primarily the north gate) to offer respects and try to get a glimpse.

Getting access to the area continued to be a tedious process today due to the many street barricades and restricted access to some areas. Enforcement was still uneven though the police seem to be stricter about enforcing the rules today. Like yesterday, people are still grumbling about the lack of access to the area. Scenes of people trying to talk their way past the police barricade are common, and most often unsuccessful. Nevertheless the crowds are generally respecting the cordon and behaving in an orderly fashion.

Crowds in the Palace area and riverfront area were moderate during the day and increased in size dramatically in the evening, again many people gathering opposite the Palace in the evening to watch the proceedings within Veal Preah Meru on the giant TV mounted on the Palace face. During the day, the shrines at the Preah Ong Dong Ar Temple opposite the Palace on Sisowath Quay were quite busy with people making offerings. The sight of the Royal Barge docked on the river next to the temple also seemed to attract considerable attention.

The following are a couple of shaky iPad videos, which, though not of very good quality, might give some feel for the scene and atmosphere in the Royal Palace area this evening.

Scene on Street 178 at the north gate of Veal Preah Meru this evening at about 6:10PM.

Scene on Sisowath Quay in front of the Royal Palace this evening at about 7:00PM.

Riverfront park, late afternoon.

Trying to get a glimpse, or just as close as possible, at the north gate of Veal Preah Meru

Barge docked next to Preah Ong Dong Ar Temple, presumably the Royal Barge that will transport the ashes of King Father Sihanouk to the Tonle Chaktomuk (the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers) on Day 5.

Funeral schedule for tomorrow, day 4, cremation

New 1000 riel notes issues last week, bearing the image of King Father Norodom Sihanouk on the face

and an image of the King Father's hearse from the first funerary procession (October 18, 2012)

Brief outline of a rough translation of the schedule of Sihanouk's funeral for Day 4, as issued by the Ministry of Information:

6:00am to 12:00noon - The same as the 2nd and 3rd day.
16:00pm - Meeting of monks, royal family, government, senate, parliament, army, secretary of state.
16:30pm - Ambassadors arrive at the south of Veal Preach Meru.
                  - Royal family and government officers arrive at the south gate of Veal Preah Meru.
17:10pm - Hun Sen, Chea Sim, Heng Samrin and spouses arrive the south of Veal Preah Meru.
17:20pm - Foreign dignitaries arrive at Veal Preah Meru.
17:40pm - The King and Queen Mather arrive at Veal Preah Meru.
17:50pm - 90 monks perform ceremony.
18:00pm - The King and the Queen Mother apply fire the funeral pyre.Cremation.
              - Cannon salute on the riverfront for a the 3rd time.
              - The King and the Queen mother mark release over 400 prisoners The King and the Queen mother give gifts at the front of Veal Preah Meru.

--------------------

Edit: Feb 4, mid-day - Hearing rumors of various times for the cremation that differ from the officially published schedule. At least one reliable source now says 5PM.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Funeral of Sihanouk: Day 1, Procession

Funeral procession of King Norodom Sihanouk, Royal Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The coffin bearing the remains of King Father Norodom Sihanouk

leave the Royal Palace by the Victory Gate, bound to be lifted onto the hearse and

begin the funerary procession around Phnom Penh.

February 1, 2013

Today, February 1, was the first day of King Father Sihanouk's funeral proceedings, a week long mourning period in which the King Father's mortal remains will receive their final treatment. A special crematorium and funerary complex has been constructed for the King Father over the last three months, located next to the Palace and in front of the National Museum, in the Veal Preah Man (Meru) Park. Today the King Father's coffin was moved from the Royal Palace, where he has been lying in state for three months, to the crematorium via an elaborate procession that circuited the inner city.

Just before 8:00AM, the coffin was first moved from the Preah Tineang Tevea Vinichhay (Throne Hall) and Royal Palace grounds, through the Victory Gate, straight up the road in front of the Palace (Preah Ponhea Yath Av.) to the area of the Preah Ong Dong Ar Temple on the riverfront, where the funerary procession and Royal Hearse awaited on Sisowath Quay Blvd. The King and Queen Mother followed and observed the coffin lifted to the hearse, after which they returned to the Palace. As the procession began to move at about 8:45AM, a cannon salute was fired from 12 artillery pieces lining the riverfront next to the temple. (I didn't count the shots but I would estimate about 24.) The procession consisted of more than a dozen vehicles and floats as well as thousands of mourners, family, dignitaries, military and representatives of ethnic groups clad in various traditional dress.

The procession traveled a 6 kilometer circuit, beginning on Sisowath Quay in front of the Preah Ong Dong Ar Temple and finishing at the Veal Preah Man crematorium. It began traveling north up the riverfront, turned west to Wat Phnom, semi-circled the roundabout and proceeded south on Norodom Blvd to the Independence Monument, tuned east on Sihanouk and continued to Sothearos Blvd, turned north and returned to the Palace area, arriving at the the front of Veal Peah Man crematorium at about noon. All businesses were closed along the entire route and people forbidden from standing above the procession on balconies and roof tops. Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the way, but in my estimation the crowd was noticeably smaller and thinner than the crowd that showed for the return of the King Father's remains from China 3 months ago. A dress code was fairly strictly enforced by minders and police - white shirt/blouse, black pants/skirt, black arm bands or ribbons, no hats, etc.

As the returning procession passed the Royal Palace on Sothearos, it stopped at the Victory Gate where the King and Queen Mother rejoined the procession to the crematorium. A second cannon salute was fired at about 12:15PM.

Over the next two days the coffin will remain in place at the crematorium. Various religious ceremonies will be performed. The actual cremation will take place Monday, February 4.

King Sihamoni and Queen Mother Monineath, Funeral of Sihanouk, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath

Prime Minister Hun Sen

Funeral procession and coffin of King Norodom Sihanouk, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Coffin bearing the remains of King Father Norodom Sihanouk

Press at Funeral of King Norodom Sihanouk, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The press

Apsaras at Funeral procession of King Norodom Sihanouk, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Traditional dancers wait for the proceedings to begin

Cannon salute at funeral of King Norodom Sihanouk, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

First cannon salute. Riverfront, Phnom Penh.

Funeral procession of King Norodom Sihanouk, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Procession mourners

Procession mourner

Frontispiece of the hearse

Neak Bun Chhay in Funeral procession of King Norodom Sihanouk, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Neak Bun Chhay (second from left holding flower,) in the funeral procession

Procession approaches Palace and the end of the city circuit.

Procession mourners (representing tribal peoples)

Hearse bearing coffin passing the Royal Palace at the end of the procession.

Animal float in Funeral procession of King Norodom Sihanouk, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

One of two animal floats

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Funeral of Sihanouk: Final Touches

A little adjustment and a dab of paint being applied

to the spire of one of the funerary vehicles.

The funeral of King Father Norodom Sihanouk begins tomorrow, February 1, 2013. The city readies, and final touches are being applied. The ceremony promises to be very elaborate and between 1 and 2.5 million people are expected to attend, many from the countryside. The entire funerary process - a 'second mourning period' - will last a week, beginning on the 1st with a city-circuit funerary procession followed by the cremation 3 days later on the 4th.

The city has been preparing for months, more intensely in the last couple of weeks - building the King Father's extensive crematorium complex next to the Palace, repairing and cleaning the streets along the procession route, erecting portraits, painting curbs and light poles and trimming vegetation. In recent days security across the city has increased considerably, many more police on the streets, barricades for crowd control put in place, road closings around the Royal Palace area widened. The international flags the ordinarily line the riverfront have recently been removed and replaced with exclusively Royal, Buddhist and Cambodian flags at half-staff. Yesterday the crematorium was under-going a final clean-up, the funerary vehicles sat ready in front of the Royal Palace receiving minor adjustments, the parks were being meticulously cleaned and watered and policeman walked the procession routes with loud speakers telling people to remove laundry and clutter from the front of their houses. Tomorrow is the day.

Funerary procession vehicles in front of the Royal Palace, January 30.

Flags at half mast line the riverfront, January 30.

Crowd barricades piled and ready, January 28.

UNESCO building on Sothearos Blvd. with Sihanouk portrait

Sihanouk memorial display in front of Ministry of Justice, Sothearos Blvd.

After the initial mourning period in late October the daily crowds of mourners lingering in front of the Royal Palace began to thin, from thousands, to hundreds and finally dozens. There were always people there, paying respects and mourning, but often less than a hundred or two, except on special occasions such as Sihanouk's 100 day ceremony. Small groups of mourners from the countryside, always clad in white and black, sat in small groups in the road and the park in front of Sihanouk's portrait, praying and meditating. People offered flowers at the Palace wall and had souvenir pictures taken. The number of offering tables in the park opposite the Palace was slowly reduced over the months. But over the past couple of weeks, as the funeral has neared, activity in the area has increased some. On-lookers have become a constant presence at the gate of the rising crematorium and there are now more mourners in attendance and more vendors as well, most selling Sihanouk photos, funeral picture ribbons, flowers, incense and snacks, as well as a few photographers produce souvenir snaps.

Scene in front of the Royal Palace on the afternoon of January 29, 3013

January 28, 2013. On-lookers at the front gate of the new crematorium complex.

Commemorative photo in front of the Palace.

Vendors in front of Wat Ounalom: photos, posters and ribbons.

Commemorative Sihanouk t-shirts available in the Palace area.

Mourning ribbons available from vendors in the Palace area.

A rough translation of the schedule of Sihanouk's funeral week as published by the Ministry of Information:
Feb 1, 2013 - Funeral process to move the remains of King Father Sihanouk to the crematorium.
Feb 2, 2013 - Lie in state at crematorium.
Feb 3, 2013 - Lie in state at crematorium.
Feb 4, 2012 - Cremation of King Father Sihanouk
Feb 5, 2013 - Collection of the ashes.
Feb 6, 2013 - Procession bearing the ashes to Tonle Chaktomuk (the 'Four Faces', the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers.)
Feb 7, 2013 - Procession bearing the remaining ashes to the Silver Pagoda (Preah Vihear Preah Keo Morakot)

The Funeral Procession
On February 1st, the King Father's remains will be moved from the Royal Palace to the crematorium (Veal Preah Meru) in the Veal Preah Man Park next to the Palace. The remains will travel by funerary procession on a 6km circuit of the city, beginning and ending at the crematorium. It promises to be a challenge for photographers and journalists: as many as 2 million people will line the procession route, security looks to be tight and the Ministry of Information has issued more than 1000 press passes for the event.

The following description of the route has been published by the government:

1) The procession starts from the crematorium ពីវាលព្រះមេរុ (Veal Preah Meru [Man])
2) It makes its way along the street leading from the gate of the Royal Palace to the popular Preah Ong Dong Ar Temple on Sisowath ឆ្ពោះទៅមុខផ្លូវព្រះអង្គដង្កើ.
3) From there, the procession makes a left and heads north along Sisowath. It goes past the vicinity of the Post Office and then makes a left turn onto Street 95 ផ្លូវលេខ៩៥ (on Google Maps, this street is named a section of Highway 5), the street leading to the Wat Phnom roundabout.
4) It circles the Wat Phnom roundabout and heads south along Norodom Boulevard towards the Independence Monument.
5) At the Independence Monument, it makes a left turn onto Sihanouk Boulevard and heads east towards Sothearos Boulevard.
6) It makes a left turn at Sothearos and heads north along it to finish up at its departure point, the Veal Preah Meru (Man) Crematorium.

As I understand these directions, the procession should follow this route:

Construction of Sihanouk's Crematorium
In the tradition of earlier Khmer kings, including. King Suramarit, a crematorium and attending structures has been constructed especially for the funeral of King Father Sihanouk in the Veal Preah Man (Meru) park, next to the Royal Palace, in front of the National Museum. The entire structure has risen from nothing to completion in 3 months, construction starting at the beginning of November and finishing touches still being added yesterday (30/1/13).

Veal Preah Man Park and the National Museum. This photo is a few years old bt the park looked about the same before the construction began. I'm standing in the middle of the park, at about the same place as the central tower will later stand.

November 1, 2012. Construction begins.

November 20, 2012. Central tower begins to rise.

December 1, 2012. Facade foundation being added to central tower. Construction on out structures begins.

December 24, 2012

December 28, 2012. Front gate.

January 25, 2013

January 27, 2013

January 30, 2013

Links:

Phnom Penh Post: Thousands attend Sihanouk's funeral rehearsal

Phnom Penh Post: UN: Stock up before King Father's funeral

AFP: Cambodia pardons 400 prisoners for funeral of ex-king

Travelfish: King Father’s funeral: What to expect

John Vink: Funeral Rehearsal Take #2

Living in Cambodia:
http://alfredmeier.me/2013/01/26/cambodian-photos-of-the-day/
http://alfredmeier.me/2013/01/21/preparation-underway-for-funeral-of-late-cambodian-king-father-sihanouk/

Foreign Dignitaries to attend funeral

Cambodia Daily: Remembering the King, Norodom Sihanouk

Cambodia Daily: Gun Salute Tested Before King Father’s Funeral

Cambodia Daily: Palace Minister Concerned Over Cremation Site Financing

Cambodia Daily: Hundreds to Be Freed for King Father’s Cremation

Cambodia Daily: King Father’s Body to Be Cremated on February 4

A cremation fit for a King

K440: A cremation fit for a King

Cambodia braces for biggest royal funeral in half a century (Funeral of King Suramarith)

Procession route announcement (Khmer)

Thai Royal Cremation Ceremony (similar crematorium construction)

Cambodia

Cambodia is Srok Khmer, the 'Land of the Khmer,' the primary ethnic group in the area since at least the Neolithic and an Indian influenced civilization with origins near 2000 years old. Centered on the lower Mekong and tributaries the Khmer people have dominated the region for millennia. From 2nd century AD Khmer kingdoms rose and fell, culminating in unification and the 500 year reign of the Angkorian Empire, the builders of the temples of Angkor near Siem Reap. The Empire stretched from Burma to the ocean. But by the 1400s Cambodia fell to centuries of change and decline squeezed between the expanding Siam and Vietnam. Colonized and by the French in the 1860s, independence 90 years later in 1954, a brief post-colonial 'golden period' under Sihanouk, coup in 70, civil war, fall to the communist Khmer Rouge in 75, 3 years 8 months 20 days of madness, Vietnamese rescue in 1979, occupation, low level war and international sanctions in the 80s, the UN, ostensive democracy and an adventure party destination in the 90s and now mainstreaming, tourism, rapid development, rapacious capitalism and NGOs, missionaries and other international busybodies aplenty.

Southeast Asia

As the term implies, Southeast Asia encompasses the southeastern corner of the Asian continent, loosely speaking, the area between India, China and Australia. It is made up of two distinct regions: the mainland zone, a bulbous peninsula jutting into the Pacific Ocean, bounded by China to the north and India to the west; and the insular (island) zone in the Pacific Ocean. The name 'Southeast Asia' is a comparatively recent invention, first coming into use into the 20th century and still a bit indefinite in definition. Mainland Southeast Asia is generally considered to include Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) and peninsular Malaysia. The mainland is sometimes referred to as Indo-China though Indochina (Indochine) also designates the 19th/20th century French colonial conglomerate of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Sitting south of the Tropic of Cancer, most of mainland Southeast Asia lies in the hot, humid tropics and sub-tropics with a climate dominated by a monsoon cycle which divides the year into two distinct seasons: a dry season and an extremely wet monsoon season. Much of the mainland is mountainous and thickly jungled, with large river systems and wide, low-lying, flood-prone plains, much of which is, in modern times, deforested and blanketed with geometrical rice paddies. Several major river valleys including the Mekong River, the Red, Ma and Ka rivers and the group of rivers draining to the Chao Praya Delta played host to the rise of early civilization in the area. The Mekong River is one of the world's greatest rivers, the seventh largest on the planet, and since pre-history has been closely associated with the land of the Khmer.