Chea Sim, veteran politician, dies age 83
Phnom Penh - Chea Sim, president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CCP) and a former leader during the country's transition in the 1990s, died Monday aged 83, a news report said.
Chea Sim, also the president of the Senate, had been in poor health for several months, and recently sought treatment in Vietnam for lung problems, the Phnon Penh Post reported.
He died around 3:45 pm (0900 GMT), his chief bodyguard was quoted as saying by the Phnom Penh Post. Chea Sim was the country's interim head of state in 1992-93, as chairman of the Council of State, before it became a constitutional monarchy. He also stepped in briefly as acting head of state for the king in 1994, 1995 and 2004. He led a faction within the CPP that often spoke out against fellow party member Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Post report said.
Old age and failing health had led him to take a less active role in recent years, it said.J apan's Kyodo News agency said Chea Sim was suffering from diabetesand other illnesses before his death.
