Cambodians gather for Sihanouk cremation THOUSANDS of Cambodians dressed in black and white have gathered ahead of the cremation of revered former king Norodom Sihanouk, who steered the war-ravaged kingdom through six turbulent decades. The cremation is part of a week-long funeral for the ex-monarch, which started with a lavish procession through the streets of Phnom Penh on Friday. It will end on Thursday when his ashes are returned to the palace. Mourners jostled to get to the front of the queue early on Monday to enter the cremation site to pay their last respects. Others sat and prayed on a street outside. Sihanouk, who towered over six tumultuous decades in his nation's history, died aged 89 of a heart attack in Beijing in October. Thousands of people had queued up at the crematorium over the weekend for a glimpse of the gilded casket containing the embalmed body. Fireworks have illuminated the sky each evening. Mourners have also grouped outside the royal palace to hold prayers, light incense and place lotus flowers in front of portraits of Sihanouk. After religious ceremonies led by Buddhist monks, his widow, Monique, and son King Norodom Sihamoni will symbolically light the pyre. Foreign dignitaries including French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Japan's Prince Akishino and several Southeast Asian leaders are due to attend the ceremony, which starts at 0900 GMT (2000 AEDT). More than 400 recently pardoned prisoners will attend the event, which will be marked by a 101-gun salute. "It's the last day for us all to pay homage to the great hero king and to send him to heaven," said Sihanouk's long-time personal assistant Prince Sisowath Thomico.