Happy everyday infront of Independence Monument.

oung residents of Phnom Penh take advantage of a break in the rain and the last light of the day to play a game of badminton in Hun Sen Park, in front of the Independence Monument.

This 20-metre tall, red-stone monument was erected by King Sihanouk's father, King Norodom Suramarit, who reigned as King from 1955 until his death in 1960. The monument was built in 1958 to commemorate Cambodia's independence from France, which was granted in 1953 following Sihanouk's declaration of a "royal crusade for independence." Today the monument serves as a memorial to Cambodia's war dead. It also serves as a place for youth to hang out and catch the cool evening breeze which blows off the Tonle Sap River in the hot season.