Cambodia cancels annual Water Festival

Cambodia announced the country will cancel the annual Water Festival to mourn late former King Norodom Sihanouk, according to a government statement released late Tuesday. "To mourn the ex-king, the government decided to suspend the celebration of Water Festival, which was planned to celebrate on Nov. 27-29 on Tonle Sap River in front of the Royal Palace," said the statement signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen. Despite the cancellation of the festival, civil servants, employees and workers still enjoy a three-day holiday on that occasion, it said. Water Festival is the largest annual festival in the Southeast Asian nation. Around 3 million Cambodians, especially those from rural areas, converge in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, to enjoy the regatta. It is the second consecutive year that the festival is canceled. Last year's cancellation was due to flood devastation, which killed at least 250 Cambodian people and affected some 1.4 million across the country. Former King Norodom Sihanouk died early Monday due to natural causes at the age of 90 in China's Beijing Hospital, according to a Cambodian government statement. He suffered from various forms of cancer, diabetes and hypertension and had been treated by Chinese doctors in Beijing for years before his death. The government announced Monday that the official mourning period for the King-Father will be held for a week from Oct. 17-23, and his body will be exhibited at least 3 months at the Royal Palace before being cremated. Sihanouk reigned Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his voluntary abdication on Oct. 7, 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni.