Sihanouk Laments Loss of Former Minister

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
28 January 2009

Former king Norodom Sihanouk expressed condolences to the family of deceased former statesman Chau Sen Cocsal, who died Thursday at the age of 104.

Sihounk wrote on his Web site that Chau Sen Cocsal had been a son of the nation, a nationalist, and a “Sihanoukist,” and pledged $10,000 for his funeral.

Chau Sen Cocsal served as prime minister and president of the National Assembly between 1959 and 1968, under the government of Sihanouk.

Chau Sen Cocsal’s funeral held at Wat Botum

26 Jan 2009
By Ung Chamroeun
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Mr. Chau Sen Cocsal’s funeral was held on the Wat Botum esplanade in Phnom Penh on Monday 26 January. Numerous VIPs presented their condolences to the family of this high-ranking Cambodian political official from the 20th century.

Passed away in Phnom Penh at the age of 104, Chau Sen Cocsal was a former president of the Cambodian National Assembly and former PM under the Sangkum Reastr Niyum led by then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk. Kong Sam Ol, the minister of the royal palace, led the funeral procession, as well as the cremation ceremony.

King-Father Norodom Sihanouk and Queen-Mother Monineath sent their condolences to the family of the deceased from their Beijing residence. They offered $10,000 for the organization of the religious ceremony. For the former monarch, Chau Sen Cocsal’s death is “a major loss, he is a national hero.” Norodom Sihanouk also reminisced on the past of his faithful follower: “We remember very well the huge sacrifices performed by Chau Sen Cocsal, a true Sihanoukist and a good collaborator who accomplished all his missions for the construction and the protection of the nation, from the Sangkum Reastr Niyum era until now. He always wanted to contribute to the national interest and to [the welfare] of the Cambodian population,” Sihanouk and Monineath wrote.

In a press communiqué dated 23 January, the French ambassador to Cambodia also salutes the memory of the deceased, pointing out that Chau Sen Cocsal was a great witness of the 20th century who was engaged and also the dean of the French community in Cambodia. “First high school graduate from Cambodia, Great Cross of the Royal Order of Cambodia, and Commander of the [French] Honor Legion [medal], Chau Sen Cocsal was a man of faith and a fighting man, a tireless defender of the kingdom of Cambodia in which he occupied the most prestigious positions,” the ambassador’s communiqué indicated.

Various Khmer Krom communities in Cambodia also presented their condolences, following the loss of one of their compatriots.