SEA Games opening role not for King, Hun Sen explains

King Norodom Sihamoni lights the SEA Games torch during a ceremony held at Angkor Wat on March 21. - HUN MANY via FB

PHNOM PENH (The Phnom Penh Post/Asia News Network): Prime Minister Hun Sen has responded to commentators who have asked why King Norodom Sihamoni will not be opening the SEA Games on Friday (May 5), explaining that it is traditional that countries with a parliamentary system have always tasked the prime minister with the role.

“Some people asked why the king would not be opening the games. He was the one who lit the games’ torch before it began its regional relay. In Asean, there are only three countries where the head of state opens an event like the games,” he said.