Cambodian king leaves for medical checkup in China
Chim
AP
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - King Norodom Sihamoni departed Cambodia on
Sunday for a medical checkup and to visit his parents in China.
It was not immediately known if the constitutional monarch is ill.
In a statement issued Dec. 30, Sihamoni said his trip to China was for
a health examination and to visit his parents, former King Sihanouk and
Queen Monineath, in Beijing, China's capital.
Sihamoni was sent off at Phnom Penh International Airport by government
leaders, including Prime Minister Hun Sen and Prince Norodom Ranariddh,
the king's half brother and president of Cambodia's National Assembly.
Chea Sim, president of the Senate, will serve as acting head of state
during Sihamoni's absence.
The king said he planned to return on Jan. 10. His father Sihanouk has
spent an increasing amount of time in China, being treated for a number
of ailments including cancer.
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