State Funeral of Son Sann Held in Phnom PenhThe state funeral for Cambodian statesman Son Sann was held Sunday morning at Wat Botum.King Norodom Sihanouk, foreign diplomats, government officials and local people attended the funeral. A guard of honor of the three services saluted the coffin of Son Sann and King Sihanouk and Queen Monineath paid last respects to Son Sann's remains. Son Sann dies on December 19 in Paris at the age of 89 and his remains was transported to Phnom Penh by air on December 24. He entered public life in 1935 as governor of Battambang province, northwestern Cambodia and created the National Bank in 1955. Between 1967 and 1968 he served as prime minister. In 1990 he was elected as the President of the Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party. In his message to Madame Son Sann and his family, King Sihanouk highly appreciated Son Sann as a great patriot who loved the Cambodian People and his motherland. The king also said that the death of Son Sann caused the country to lose a hero and an outstanding son. |
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