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Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Sok An, whose path to becoming one of the most powerful men in Cambodia traced the career of Prime Minister HE, died on Wednesday evening, according to a government spokesman. He was 66.

As Cambodia’s most senior deputy prime minister and the head of the Council of Ministers, a role specifically created for him, Sok An’s vast control over state bodies large and small was rivalled only by that of his boss for the past four decades, Mr. HE...

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/breakingn ... 65-126599/

From yesterday:
Amid Health Rumors, Deputy PM Sok An Becomes ‘Samdech’
by Ouch Sony | March 14, 2017

With rumors swirling about his health, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, who has not been seen in public for months, on Monday became the latest ruling party stalwart to be bestowed with the honorific “Samdech,” which translates roughly as “The Greatest.”

Mr. An, one of the country’s most prominent politicians as head of the Council of Ministers and various other state bodies, received the rare title through a royal decree released last night.
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/amid ... 6487/[code][/code]

I thought the fruity king was in China, and too busy for this.

The king doesn't have to actually be in Cambodia, when he's abroad there's someone who signs all his papers for him, or should I say "on behalf of him".

It has been announced that the elaborate $750,000 funeral ceremony for Sok An will be paid for by the CPP.

Ceremony sees off Sok An
Mon, 20 March 2017

In a gilt coffin glittering in the harsh Sunday morning sun, the body of late deputy prime minister Sok An snaked through the emptied streets of Phnom Penh and came to rest at a flower-laden pyre.

The procession and cremation ceremony spared neither pomp nor circumstance for the longtime right-hand man of Prime Minister HE, though after public outcry over the $750,000 price tag affixed to the display, the Cambodian People’s Party announced it will be picking up the bill.

The staggering number of roles and positions held by Sok An during his political career – which earned him comparisons to a many-armed Hindu deity – were canvassed in a eulogy delivered by Senate President Say Chhum.

“The death of Samdech Vibol Panha Sok An is the loss of a highly charismatic figure who was a rare human resource,” Chhum said...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ceremony-sees-sok

Jesus, even the state funerals of former leaders of my (Western) homeland didn't cost that much.