Cambodians warmly embraced their little-known new monarch King Norodom Sihamoni yesterday, impressed by his graceful bearing and gentle speech as his ornate three-day coronation drew to an end.
The 51-year-old king was formally crowned Friday in an elaborate and solemn ceremony. In his first address to the nation yesterday, he promised to share his countrymen's "happiness and sadness forever."
Prak Sokhom, a pickle-seller doing roaring trade from the thousands attending the event at the park outside the sprawling palace's gates, gushed over the youthful-looking King Sihamoni.
"His voice is very sweet and he is also very handsome. He is a good person, very gentle and suitable for the position," she said.
The new monarch, an unmarried former ballet dancer and cultural diplomat who has spent most of his life outside Cambodia, is barely known by his 13 million subjects.
But his glamorous appointment as king has excited many.
Ngourn Pheakdey, an 11-year-old street-wise scavenger said he originally planned to come here yesterday only to collect the rubbish the crowd left behind.
"I didn't plan to see him at all but I have seen him now and I am very happy that I did because he is the king!" he said.
"I don't know if he will rule well but I believe in him because he looks very gentle and kind. I hope that he will take care of the lives of children like us."
Cambodia's kings were once all-powerful but today the position is largely symbolic. Yet the monarchy remains highly respected and King Sihamoni's father Norodom Sihanouk styled himself as a protector of the country's vulnerable.
Kim Sreng, an orange-robed Buddhist monk observing the spectacle, said he was optimistic about the new king's abilities.
"His outside appearance is very good. His face is full of the four virtues of a good-natured man: compassion, pity, joy at others' happiness and sincerity," the 28-year-old told reporters.
While Cambodia's older citizens, particularly in rural areas, still regard the king as semi-divine, King Sihamoni faces a tougher challenge winning over the young. Many are more concerned with economic survival in his war-scarred nation than the monarchy.
But university students hearing him speak gave him the thumbs up.
"I am optimistic about his reign," said agricultural student Huot Lina, 23.
"The gentle look on his face, the respectful speech he gives, all of this helps me to believe more in him ... I will wait and see what happens next but what I can confirm now is trust. I and my friends here hand our trust to him."
Many Cambodians have particular confidence in the shaven-headed king because he has the strong support of his father, who has pledged to tutor him in his new role.
"The way he speaks is gentle and well-educated, and he shows respect to everyone, especially us, the people," said 53-year-old civil servant So Sokhumsaid, holding a portrait of King Sihamoni in her arms.
"With his inborn ability plus his father's help, he will be very appropriate, the best person to continue from his father."
Cambodians are also relieved that the succession has gone smoothly, an unusual event in the fragile kingdom which was rocked by anti-Thai street riots in January last year and saw bloody factional fighting in 1997.
"The tense situation caused by the old king abdicating has been solved with the replacement, this good, young, energetic, gentle king," said Ngin Sokrovar, 53, a municipal health official.
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