Dr. Kem Ley's Funeral Procession

Good morning and welcome to LICADHO’s livestream where we will provide coverage of the funeral procession of murdered political analyst Dr Kem Ley. The map above shows the route the procession will take.

• Departure: Wat Chas Kem Ley's funeral procession will start at 7AM from Wat Chas, where his body has been lying since his murder on July 10.
• Route stage 1 - 16.3km The procession will first go through Cambodia's capital, along Russian Confederation Boulevard past the Phnom Penh International Airport.
• Route stage 2 - 63km From the outskirts of Phnom Penh to Kem Ley's home district town, the procession will make its way on motorized vehicles along National Road 3.
• Route stage 3 - 8.6km The last stretch of the procession will be done on foot, all the way to Kem Ley's home village.
• Arrival: Angk Ta Kok Village If the procession goes according to plan, Kem Ley's body will reach his home village at 2PM, where it will be laid to rest.

There is likely to be a heavy police presence during the day. On Friday, the Phnom Penh City Hall published a letter stating that because of the risk that mourners could incite unrest amongst the wider public and because of the possibility that extremist groups may infiltrate the procession, they planned to deploy 1,450 police and 250 military police to ensure public safety.

Updated at 06:54 ICT

People have been gathering at Wat Chas, from where the funeral procession will depart, since before first light and thousands of people are already lining the route through the city towards Phnom Penh international airport. Mourners are continuing to make their way from all over the city towards the route the procession will take. They are wearing T-shirts bearing Kem Ley's image, and carrying flowers, banners and photos.

Updated at 07:03 ICT

The procession has now left Wat Chas and is making its way across Chroy Changvar Bridge towards the centre of the city.

Who was Kem Ley?

Dr Kem Ley was one of Cambodia’s most prominent and well-respected political analysts and an advocate for human rights, democracy and social justice.

A medical doctor by training, he spent his early career working in public health. However, it is for his activism and political commentary that he was best known by Cambodians, regularly featuring as an expert in the media and becoming a familiar outspoken voice on the issues affecting Cambodians nationwide.

In an effort to promote political diversity in Cambodia, he became a founding member of the Grassroots Democracy Party in June 2015. The party formalized a grassroots social movement he established in 2014, in the aftermath of the the fraught 2013 national election.

At the time of his death, he was part-way through his “100 Nights” campaign, spending 100 nights with rural Khmer families to investigate the roots of Cambodia’s most pressing social issues.

The death of the married father of four comes at a time of heightened political tensions and has led to a national of outpouring of grief at the loss of one of Cambodia’s most outspoken citizens.

Updated at 07:26 ICT

As the head of the procession makes its way into the centre of Phnom Penh the crowd continues to swell.

Updated at 07:32 ICT

As anticipated the funeral procession is being heavily policed. Reuters reporter Chan Thul Prak tweeted these photos from near the Prime Minister's cabinet building.

Police deployed as #KemLey procession begins pic.twitter.com/ivisidh62v

— Chan Thul Prak (@prakchanthul) July 24, 2016

Updated at 07:44 ICT

The hearse carrying Kem Ley's body is now passing the French embassy.

embassies pay their respects

The Japanese Ambassador Meeting with Kem Ley's Widow Bou Rachana

Kem Ley’s murder prompted statements of condemnation from international diplomatic corps in Phnom Penh, including from the United Nations, United States, European Union, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Japan, Australia and Germany.

Kem Ley’s funeral was also attended by many ambassadors and diplomats, including:

• French Ambassador Jean-Claude Poimboeuf
• Australian Ambassador Angela Corcoran
• Swedish Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Andreas Johansson
• Japanese Ambassador Kumamaru Yuji
• US Embassy Chargée d'Affaires Julie Chung
• German Ambassador Joachim Baron von Marschall
• European Union Ambassador George Edgar

Notably, the American Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Tom Malinowski, attended the funeral to pay his respects.

Updated at 07:46 ICT

Tens of thousands of people are now following the procession and many more are lining the streets all along the route waiting to join.

Updated at 08:39 ICT

14 days of mourning

Today's procession is the culmination of two weeks of mourning, with thousands of Cambodians turning out on the streets to pay their respects to Kem Ley.

In the immediate aftermath of the murder, thousands gathered on the streets of Phnom Penh, eventually forming an impromptu march to carry Kem Ley's body to Wat Chas.

Over the following 14 days, thousands of mourners have travelled to Wat Chas from across Cambodia in order to pay tribute to Kem Ley.

Updated at 08:17 ICT

Many land rights activists have joined the funeral today. Here Boeung Kak activist Bov Sophea calls on others to join the procession.

Here mourners are seen passing the Vattanac tower at the northern end of Monivong Boulevard.

Teang Pa, Executive Director of the Cambodian Centre for Independent Media, estimates the procession to be 5km long.

Updated at 08:56 ICT