An overpass by any other name

Hun Sen walks along new flight over in Phnom Penh Heng Chivoan

6 Jan, 2016 Vong Sokheng PPP 

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.

“If the bridge was named ‘the 40th anniversary souvenir of Samdech Techo and his wife’, then he could make that comment,” Hun Sen said of Sovann. 

“I just had to defend my honour.” Sovann yesterday declined to comment on the speech.