Cambodia on Tuesday marked the 68th anniversary of its independence from France in an hour-long ceremony held at the Independence Monument in the capital city Phnom Penh.
King Norodom Sihamoni, accompanied by Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, laid a wreath and lit the ceremonial victory fire inside the Independence Monument to symbolize the country's independence.
The event was also attended by foreign diplomats, armed forces, civil servants, citizens and students. All of them were seen wearing face masks and keeping physical distancing properly to guard against the COVID-19.
Hun Sen said that Nov. 9 reminded the people of a noble mission launched by late Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk to demand independence from France.
"King Norodom Sihanouk, the Father of Independence, had sacrificed both physical and mental energies in his royal crusade to gain the full independence for Cambodia," he wrote on his official Facebook page.
At the end of the celebration, pigeons and balloons were released as a sign of independence and freedom.
The Southeast Asian nation gained its independence on Nov. 9, 1953, after 90 years of French colonial rule.
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