Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Ruling Cambodian People’s Party president Chea Sim has died at the age of 83.

Samdech Chea Sim passed away at his residence in Phnom Penh at 15:45 from natural causes, it pointed out.

According to H.E. Chhim Phal Virun, a CPP’s spokesperson, a state mourning ceremony will be held for Samdech Chea Sim because he died while in office.

Samdech Chea Sim was born on Nov. 15, 1932 in Romeas Hek district, Svay Rieng province. He was married in 1955 and has 7 children (4 sons and 3 daughters).

He was the President of the National Assembly from 1981 to 1998, and President of the Senate from1999 until his passing away.

Yim Leang, chief of Sim’s personal bodyguard unit, confirmed that the aging Senate president and long-time president of the CPP died on Monday afternoon at about 3:45pm.

“Yes, he died,” Yim Leang said, without elaborating on the cause of his death.

According to Leang, Prime Minister HE and other high-ranking government officials arrived at Chea Sim’s house shortly after his death to pay their respects.

HE in April announced that he would assume the party presidency in the event that Sim died.

“We wish Samdech Chea Sim to be in good health and live a long life even if he cannot work, and he will be president of the CPP and Senate [as long as he lives],” he said at the time.......

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http://phnompenhpost.com/national/chea-sim-dead-83

Also:

http://www.akp.gov.kh/?p=63469

Random pics of Chea Sim:

RIP

He's died a few times now, hasn't he?

I have no comment about political. I still love my little life.

Funeral sounds like another excuse for an additional Cambodian holiday to add to the long list of holidays.

4-day weekend!

18th was existing day, now 19th in honour of HE Chea Sim.

Samouth wrote:I have no comment about political. I still love my little life.

Good answer - better to wag your tail in the mud!

Chuang Tzu (approximately 390-365 B.C.), was one of the great philosophers of the Chou period in china

Chuang Tzu was one day fishing, when the Prince of Ch'u sent two high officials to interview him, saying that his Highness would be glad of Chuang Tzu's assistance in the administration of his government. The latter quietly fished on, and without looking round, replied, "I have heard that in the State of Ch'u there is a sacred tortoise, which has been dead three thousand years, and which the prince keeps packed up in a box on the altar in his ancestral shrine. Now do you think that tortoise would rather be dead and have its remains thus honoured, or be alive and wagging its tail in the mud?" The two officials answered that no doubt it would rather be alive and wagging its tail in the mud; whereupon Chuang Tzu cried out "Begone! I too elect to remain wagging my tail in the mud."

Vice President Say Chhum gets voted new President of the Cambodian Senate, in a vote on June 9, 2015.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_%28Cambodia%29

Will he be the exact opposite?

Chea Sim, Say Chhum.