One year since Yasser Arafat died, Assad Abed, a cook working for the late Palestinian leader, still remembered Arafat as a father, with all the vivid memories flashing back.

Assad, 25, who worked in the food service section for Arafat, used to be very close to Arafat's daily life.

"Yes, today I remember our leader. I remember when he laughed with us in his room, encouraging us despite the Israeli siege," said Assad, sadness on his face.

Assad said Arafat was in good health one month before he died.

"No one among us could imagine that our leader will die very fast in one month," said the young man, still perplexed over the death of Arafat on Nov. 11, 2004, in a French hospital at the age of 75.

Friday marked the first anniversary of Arafat's death.

Commemorations began when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, accompanied by Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, laid the foundation stone for a museum-mosque-mausoleum complex for Arafat in Ramallah.

The complex will include all the equipment that Arafat used in his life, according to officials from the Housing Ministry.

Thousands of Palestinians came to Arafat 's grave in the Ramallah compound of al-Muqata'a early Friday morning to commemorate their late leader.

Raya tawffeq, 63, came from a village 15 km north of Ramallah.

"I like that man, for that I came today," she said.

"Arafat was strong even when he was under the siege," she recalled.

Waleed Ayoob, a Palestinian painter who painted many portraits for Arafat, said, "I hope that Arafat will stay forever in the Palestinians hearts."

"Not only the Palestinians, but also the Arab world must never forget Abu Ammar (Arafat's nickname) because he had been struggling for a long time against occupation," Ayoob added.

Nasser Hamdan, a teacher of 42, said "Arafat must be immortal in all hearts of fighters because Arafat didn't work in his life for himself but for the Palestinian people."

Source: Xinhua