PHNOM PENH, Oct 16: Grieving Cambodians wore black ribbons and flags flew at half-mast on Tuesday as the nation mourned the death of revered ex-king Norodom Sihanouk and prepared for the return of his body from China.

Sihanouk, who steered his country through turbulent decades of war, genocide and finally peace, died of a heart attack in Beijing on Monday. He was 89.

His corpse is set to be brought back to his homeland on Wednesday and will lie in state at the royal palace in Phnom Penh for three months before an elaborate funeral, according to the government.

“His body is currently on display at Beijing Hospital,” Sihanouk’s long-time personal assistant Prince Sisowath Thomico said. “They will take him straight from the hospital to the airport tomorrow.”

Thousands of Cambodians are expected to line Phnom Penh’s streets to mark the final homecoming of the royal known as “King-Father”, who saw his people as his “children”.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen praised the “remarkable and incomparable” former monarch in a condolence letter to Sihanouk’s widow Queen Monique and his son, current King Norodom Sihamoni. The government ordered radio and television stations not to broadcast joyful programmes during the upcoming official mourning period, while entertainment venues have been asked to suspend concerts and performances.—AFP