Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen lays flowers during the inauguration ceremony of "Monuments aux Morts", a memorial to the Cambodian soldiers killed in the service of France during World War 1, in Phnom Penh on July 14, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)
PHNOM PENH — Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Friday inaugurated a memorial for the dead of World War I between 1914 and 1918.
Situated at a public park in front of the French embassy in the capital Phnom Penh, the memorial is dedicated to Cambodian and French soldiers who had sacrificed their lives during the war.
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The 12.3-meter-tall monument features one Cambodian soldier, a French soldier and four elephants. The original monument was built in 1925, but destroyed in 1977.
During World War I, between 1914 and 1918, about 20,000 Cambodians were dispatched to fight alongside the French in Europe. Of them, 151 Cambodians and 33 French residents of Cambodia perished, and their names were engraved on the memorial base.