Prince Norodom Sihamoni was named Cambodia's new king Thursday, succeeding his father, Norodom Sihanouk, who stunned the country last week by announcing his abdication because of ill health. Sihamoni, a former ballet dancer and cultural ambassador who has spent much of his life abroad, was approved by a nine-member Throne Council after about a half-hour meeting, the panel said in a statement signed by its chairman and acting head of state, Chea Sim.
| Sounds like just the man they need... for whatever it is the king of Cambodia does these days. |
The council's vote was unanimous, two palace officials said on condition of anonymity. The Throne Council "has chosen Samdech Norodom Sihamoni as the king of the Kingdom of Cambodia," said the statement by the panel, which includes Prime Minister Hun Sen. Samdech is an honorific. Sihamoni — previously the holder of a sinecure job that kept him fed and didn't require any work an ambassador to the U.N. cultural agency in Paris — previously showed no interest in the throne, but the 81-year- old Sihanouk, 81, had made it clear he wanted Sihamoni to succeed him.
| "It'll keep the lad out of trouble..." |
Sihamoni is currently with Sihanouk in Beijing, where the monarch has been receiving medical treatment, and is expected to return to Cambodia with him Wednesday. A coronation is planned for Oct. 29, according to Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Sihamoni's half brother and head of the National Assembly. Hours before the Throne Council convened, Ranariddh told reporters that Sihamoni would be king "from this afternoon," calling it "a new page in the history of the monarchy." |