Vong Sokheng

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced yesterday that he would name a $14 million overpass in Phnom Penh to commemorate his 40th wedding anniversary.

Diverging from the traditional gift of rubies to celebrate four decades of matrimony, the premier said yesterday that the so-called “Techno flyover” on Russian Boulevard, set to be officially inaugurated this morning, would be officially dubbed the January 5 Sky Bridge, in honour of his tying the knot with his wife, Bun Rany, 40 years ago.

Hun Sen, occasionally pictured sneaking a peck on the cheek from his long-time spouse, took to Facebook to reminisce, recalling the pair was hitched during a mass wedding arranged by the Khmer Rouge in Kampong Cham’s Tbong Khmum district.

read more: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/pm-gives-wife-road-not-rubies-anniversary

An overpass by any other name

Wed, 6 January 2016

Vong Sokheng

Prime Minister Hun Sen, speaking at the inauguration of the new “January 5” flyover yesterday, said the new overpass was in fact not named in honour of his 40th wedding anniversary, despite comments made the day before fondly associating its name with the date he married his wife, Bun Rany.

The premier seized in particular on comments by opposition spokesman Yim Sovann published in the Post’s Khmer-language edition, in which the CNRP lawmaker suggested there were “many names of Cambodian heroes” that the bridge could have been given instead.

Saying it was “crazy” to suggest the bridge was named for his anniversary, Hun Sen maintained the dates were simply a coincidence.

read more: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/overpass-any-other-name