Cambodian King Undergoes Treatment In Beijing

Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni is recovering in a Beijing hospital after prostate cancer surgery on April 20, Cambodian officials said. (khaosodenglish.com) Senate President Hun Sen said the operation was successful and that the 72-year-old monarch regained consciousness after anesthesia. Cambodia’s Information Ministry, citing Hun Sen, said the king’s condition had “improved significantly” by the morning of April 21. (freshnewsasia.com) (information.gov.kh) Sihamoni disclosed on April 10 that doctors in Beijing had diagnosed him with prostate cancer and advised him to remain hospitalized in China for treatment. Reuters and The Associated Press reported that he said he would extend his stay in Beijing for medical care. (apnews.com) (usnews.com) The king’s illness has drawn unusual public attention because Cambodia’s monarchy is normally low-profile and largely ceremonial. Sihamoni has been on the throne since October 2004, after the abdication of his father, King Norodom Sihanouk. (abcnews.com) (marketscreener.com) China’s role in his treatment also fits a long pattern in Cambodia’s royal and political ties with Beijing. Sihanouk, Sihamoni’s father, also received cancer treatment in Beijing and died there in 2012. (abcnews.com) (apnews.com) Hun Sen traveled to Beijing during the king’s treatment and said he personally accompanied Sihamoni to the operating room with his sons Hun Many and Hun Manith. State-linked Cambodian outlets said he later visited the king again at the hospital during recovery. (cpp.org.kh) (information.gov.kh) Foreign embassies including those of the United States, Germany, France, Canada and Japan sent public wishes for the king’s recovery after his diagnosis was announced. Kiripost reported the messages as Cambodia entered Khmer New Year with the monarch absent from public duties. (kiripost.com) For now, Cambodian officials have said the king remains under close medical observation in Beijing, with no return date announced. The immediate focus is his postoperative recovery after a procedure Phnom Penh has described as successful. (khaosodenglish.com) (kiripost.com)