Pyongyang, December 21 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Tuesday received a message of condolences from the FUNCINPEC Party of Cambodia on the passing of leader Kim Jong Il.

The message said as follows:

Leaders and all the members of the FUNCINPEC express deep condolences to all the members of the WPK upon the sad news that His Excellency Marshal Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and the respected leader of the Korean people, passed away on December 17, 2011.

His demise is a great loss to the Korean people as they lost their great hero and outstanding leader who wisely led the DPRK under the banner of the Juche idea which enabled them to achieve great development in all fields as masters of their own destiny.

Sharing sorrow with the WPK and every Korean and expressing condolences over his demise, our party is convinced that the exploits performed by H.E. Kim Jong Il, prominent leader of the DPRK, will remain forever.

The great heroism displayed by His Excellency Marshal Kim Jong Il will always be in the hearts of not only the fraternal Korean people but the progressives of the whole world.

We wish the Korean people great victory in every domain true to the intentions of H.E. Generalissimo Kim Il Sung and H.E. Marshal Kim Jong Il.