Injured Cambodian prince airlifted to Thai hospital

Above: Mourners sitting near a coffin containing the remains of Prince Norodom Ranariddh's wife Ouk Phalla, at a pagoda in Phnom Penh yesterday. Left: Prince Ranariddh and his wife attending a congress in Phnom Penh in January 2015.
Above: Mourners sitting near a coffin containing the remains of Prince Norodom Ranariddh's wife Ouk Phalla, at a pagoda in Phnom Penh yesterday. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Above: Mourners sitting near a coffin containing the remains of Prince Norodom Ranariddh's wife Ouk Phalla, at a pagoda in Phnom Penh yesterday. Left: Prince Ranariddh and his wife attending a congress in Phnom Penh in January 2015.
Prince Ranariddh and his wife attending a congress in Phnom Penh in January 2015. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

PHNOM PENH • The condition of injured Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president of the Funcinpec Party, is "stable" and he has been airlifted to a hospital in Thailand, a senior party official said yesterday.

"The information I got is that the Prince's condition is stable," Funcinpec Party secretary-general Yim Savy told Xinhua news agency.

"He remains conscious and can speak normally."

However, the secretary-general said "some of the Prince's ribs were broken" and "one of his (right) leg's calf bones fractured" in the road accident on Sunday. "The Prince was airlifted to a hospital in Bangkok for further medical check-up and treatment on Sunday night," he said.

The 74-year-old Prince was injured and his 39-year-old wife Ouk Phalla died when their car collided with a taxi travelling in the opposite direction in south-western Preah Sihanouk province. Five people in the taxi were also wounded in the crash.

According to Mr Savy, the royal couple were travelling in a BMW along with a motorcade consisting of other senior party members to meet their supporters in Preah Sihanouk province when the accident happened.

Sihanouk province chief of police Chuon Narin told Reuters that the Prince "is seriously injured but he will be fine". The police chief said both vehicles were speeding at the time of the accident.

Both Prince Ranariddh and his wife were standing as candidates in Cambodia's national election, which is scheduled for July 29.

Prince Ranariddh is a son of late King Norodom Sihanouk. He is also president of the Supreme Privy Advisory Council to King Norodom Sihamoni, his half-brother.

The Prince was former co-prime minister from 1993 to 1997 and former president of the National Assembly from 1998 to 2006.

XINHUA

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 19, 2018, with the headline Injured Cambodian prince airlifted to Thai hospital. Subscribe