Phnom Penh: His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, the King of the Kingdom of Cambodia, lit the ceremonial flame on the interior cauldron of the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh on Thursday, November 9, 2023.

The lighting of this flame commemorates the 70th anniversary of Cambodia's independence, achieved on November 9, 1953, after nearly a century of French colonial rule (from August 11, 1863, to November 9, 1953). Cambodia's national independence was restored under the leadership of the former King Norodom Sihanouk, who proclaimed it on November 9, 1953. Cambodians throughout the country have celebrated him as 'the great national hero and the father of national independence'.

In honor of this historic achievement, the Independence Monument was constructed and inaugurated in 1958.