Sisowath's Body

FRENCH INDOCHINA

Last April death came to the little 65-year-old body of King Sisowath II of Cambodia. It had had less & less to live for. A few years ago depression obliged it to part with 100 of its 200 wives. Last March Japanese mediators took a large part of Sisowath's steaming, many-templed puppet realm away from French Indo-China, gave it to Thailand.

After Sisowath's body died, Cambodian priests treated it with secret essences to preserve its outer flesh, removed all its internal organs except its heart and brain. Then they folded the body into an urn in the curled position of an unborn child, symbolizing preparation for rebirth somewhere, sometime.

Until last week Sisowath's body remained in the urn. Then priests removed it, washed and dressed it in royal robes, hung over its heart the medal of the order of The Million Elephants and the White Parasol, placed the body in a more impressive jar.

Thousands of yellow-clad priests escorted the jar through the streets of Cambodia's ancient capital, Pnom-Penh, to a towering, shining new pagoda. The body was placed in a gleaming gold-&-silver catafalque. As plaintive music sounded, the new, handsome young King Sianouk of Cambodia, Sisowath's nephew, lighted a fire under Sisowath's bodily remains and incinerated them. An elegantly robed and uniformed audience made obeisance. Among them were French Indo-China's Governor General Admiral Jean Decoux, who used to rule over Sisowath, and a Japanese General representing Emperor Hirohito, who now rules over Governor General Decoux.

Though the late King's bodily remains thus passed into smoke and ashes, no devout Cambodian believed that that was the end of Prea Bat Samdach Prea Sisowath Monivong Chamcha-Vrapong Harireach Barmintor Phouvanay Krayveofa Sulalay Prea Chan Crung Campuchea Tippedey.

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