13 Foreign Leaders To Attend the Late King-Father’s Cremation Ceremony

Four Prime Ministers and senior government officials from 13 foreign countries will attend the Late King-Father Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk’s Royal Cremation Ceremony to be held on Feb. 4, said a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation dated yesterday.   

Those foreign leaders are H.E. Mr. Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, French Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Jean-Marc Ayrault, Vietnamese Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, Thai Prime Minister H.E. Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, Lao Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Thongsing Thammavong, Vice President of the Philippines H.E. Mr. Jejomar C. Binay, His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino of Japan, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance H.E. Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Brunei Darussalam’s Minister of Development Honorable Pehin Dato Suyoi Haji Osman, Indonesia’s Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs H.E. Air Chief Marshall Djoko Suyanto, Myanmar’s Senior Union Minister of the President Office H.E. Mr. Tin Naing Thein, the Republic of Korea’s Presidential Chief of Staff H.E. Mr. Ha Kum-Loul, and Australia’s Lieutenant General H.E. Mr. John Sanderson, it pointed out.    

According to the press release, H.E. Mr. Jia Qinglin, H.E. Mr. Jean-Marc Ayrault and Prince Akishino will be received in separate royal audiences by His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni and Her Majesty Queen-Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk at the Royal Palace and they will also hold separate meetings with Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia.

The Prime Ministers of Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, and the Vice President of the Philippines will also meet with Samdech Techo Prime Minister separately, it said.

In addition, Honorable Pehin Dato Suyoi Haji Osman, H.E. Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, H.E. Mr. Air Chief Marshall Djoko Suyanto, H.E. Mr. John Sanderson and H.E. Mr. Ha Kum-Loul are scheduled to hold separate meetings with H.E. DPM Hor Namhong, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, added the press release. 

King-Father Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk passed away at the age of 90 in Beijing, China on Oct. 15, 2012. His Body has been lying in state at the Royal Palace until Feb. 1, 2013 when the Body will be moved to the open square of Veal Preah Merhu, in front of the National Museum, next to the Royal Palace, before being cremated three days later.

Sourced: AKP