Mass Procession Planned For Kem Ley’s Funeral

Cambodia Daily | 16 July 2016

Tens of thousands of friends and fans are expected to join in a funeral procession on Sunday for slain political analyst Kem Ley, whose body will be returned to his hometown in Takeo province, organizers said Friday.

Tim Malay, head of the Cambodian Youth Network, said Kem Ley’s body would be carried out of Phnom Penh’s Wat Chas pa­go­da at 7 a.m.

Mourners will be in­vit­­ed to march or drive alongside the funeral convoy as it moves down Monivong Boulevard, Rus­sian Boulevard and then National Road 3 to Takeo, he said.

Kem Ley’s widow, Bou Rachana, said her hus­band’s body would not be cremated, but that she had not decided whether it would be buried or re­main in a glass case.

Thousands have paid their respects to Kem Ley over the past week during a 10-day wake at Wat Chas.

The pop­ular government critic was shot dead inside a gas station conven­ience store on the morning of July 10 in what most believe was a politically motivated murder.