PHNOM PENH: A three-day fireworks display will be held next week in celebration of Cambodia’s 70th Independence Day in addition to the Anniversary of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

According to an announcement from the National Committee for Organizing National and International Festivals, a fireworks display will be held at 7pm from November 9-11 in front of the Royal Palace.

Cambodians recognize Independence Day on November 9 to celebrate the end of 90 years of French rule. King Norodom Sihanouk claimed independence from France in 1949 and it was officially acknowledged on November 9, 1953.

The Royal Cambodian Armed Forces were founded following the country’s first democratic election in 1993, when the armed forces of all parties except the Khmer Rouge were integrated into a national armed force.