Sihanouk dies in Beijing

EDIT CONTAINS 4:3 MATERIAL

The former king of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk, died Monday at a hospital in China.

Sihanouk was a pre-eminent figure in Cambodia's history through a large part of the 20th century.

He held considerable power in the 1950s and 60s when, as a young, flamboyant ruler he came to symbolise Cambodia's liberation from French rule.

Sihanouk however will also be remembered as a puppet kept by the Khmer Rouge during their 1970s reign of terror that killed almost a quarter of the Cambodian population.

In 1991 Sihanouk oversaw an historic peace agreement signed by the country's warring factions and Vietnam - which had invaded Cambodia to topple the Khmer Rouge.

Flags at the Cambodian Embassy in Beijing were flown at half staff in his honour.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Sihanouk's son King Norodom Sihamony will accompany the body as it is returned to Cambodia for a state funeral at the Royal Palace.

Sihanouk was 89 years old.