Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Hun Sen pays last respects to Japan ex-PM Abe at embassy

Hun Sen pays last respects to Japan ex-PM Abe at embassy

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Prime Minister Hun Sen’s handwritten entry in the official condolence book (right) at the Embassy of Japan in Phnom Penh to honour the memory of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left), on July 11. SPM

Hun Sen pays last respects to Japan ex-PM Abe at embassy

Prime Minister Hun Sen paid his last respects to the late Shinzo Abe on July 11 at the Japanese embassy in Phnom Penh.

Abe was shot dead while speaking at a political campaign event on the morning of July 8 in the western Japanese city of Nara.

Hun Sen offered his deepest condolences to the government and the people of Japan as well as to his family, saying this is a huge loss and an indescribable pain.

“The passing of Shinzo Abe was not only the loss of a patriotic statesman, who led Japan’s growth and boosted its role on the international and regional stages, but also the loss of a genuine friend of the Cambodian people – and of mine,” he wrote in the official condolence book.

“He had contributed to elevating Cambodian-Japanese bilateral relations into a strategic partnership since 2013, as well as pushed for assistance in support of development in Cambodia,” he added.

Hun Sen wrote that the kind gestures and sincere sentiments of Abe will always be remembered by the Cambodian people.

“Amid these grieving circumstances, may the soul of Shinzo Abe rest in peace,” he wrote.

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
Prime Minister Hun Sen pays respects to slain former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Embassy of Japan in Phnom Penh on July 11. AKP

Cheam Yeab, first vice-president of the National Assembly (NA), led members of the NA Standing Committee as they paid their last respects to Abe at the embassy.

“In this difficult time, on behalf of the Kingdom’s National Assembly, [Yeab] offered his deepest condolences to Abe’s family members and to the people of Japan for the loss of a great dignitary of the nation,” the NA said in a social media post after the tributes.

It said Abe was a genius statesman and a charismatic leader who had contributed significantly to strengthening the long-lasting bonds of friendship between Cambodia and Japan. It also said that he helped achieve peace, stability and economic prosperity in the region and the world.

In his tenure, Abe had provided Cambodia with a great deal of assistance, along with several ASEAN countries, it added.

The NA condemned the “despicable and barbaric” killing of Abe, saying Cambodia joined Japan in mourning the death of Abe.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Siem Reap airport to close after new one opens

    After the new Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport (SAI) opens in October, the existing complex serving the northwestern province will be “completely closed”, according to State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha. SAI developer Angkor International Airport Investment (Cambodia) Co Ltd (AIAI) last month

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Rare plant fetches high prices from Thai, Chinese

    Many types of plants found in Cambodia are used as traditional herbs to treat various diseases, such as giloy or guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia) or aromatic/sand ginger (Kaempferia galangal) or rough cocklebur (Xanthium Strumartium). There is also a plant called coral, which is rarely grown

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Cambodia returns 15M Covid jabs to China

    Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia will return 15 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to China for donation to other countries. The vaccines in question were ordered but had not yet arrived in Cambodia. While presiding over the Ministry of Health’s annual meeting held on