A Cambodian prince who was a candidate in upcoming general elections was transferred early Monday to a hospital in neighboring Thailand after being injured in a road crash that killed his wife, said a fellow politician and a Cambodian news agency.
Prince Norodom Ranariddh (74), was in a convoy along with senior members of his FUNCINPEC party heading toward Sihanoukville in southwest Cambodia on Sunday morning when a taxi traveling in the opposite direction slammed into his SUV, said a senior party member in the group.
Prince Ranariddh’s wife also was standing as a candidate in Cambodia’s general election next month.
Prince Ranariddh, who was originally reported severely injured, suffered broken ribs, a politician familiar with his situation told The Associated Press. The politician, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information, said Ranariddh was flown to Bangkok at 1 a.m. Monday for medical care on request from the country’s Royal Palace. Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni is Ranariddh’s half-brother.
Fresh News, a news agency close to the government, also reported that Prince Ranariddh had been taken to Thailand.
Nhep Bun Chin, a FUNCINPEC spokesman, said Prince Ranariddh’s condition had improved, but declined to confirm his evacuation to Bangkok.
Prince Ranariddh was Cambodia’s co-prime minister for four years in an uneasy power-sharing arrangement with Hun Sen after his party won a United Nations-organized election in 1993. His party’s popularity was largely due to its royalist credentials, although Prince Ranariddh’s personal relations with his popular father, late King Norodom Sihanouk, were often strained.
Prince Ranariddh was allowed to return to contest elections the following year but failed to repeat his success at the ballot. He slid into political irrelevancy, as FUNCINPEC became co-opted by Mr. Hun Sen, a much savvier and tougher politician than Prince Ranariddh.
Prince Ranariddh is currently president of FUNCINPEC. It holds 41 seats in the National Assembly, but only because seats held by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party were redistributed after CNRP was dissolved.
The dissolution was widely seen as a maneuver to ensure an easy victory for Mr. Hun Sen in the general election, with parties contesting the polls generally seen as hopelessly weak or fronting for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party so it can claim it ran a fair race by allowing opposition candidates.
Prince Ranariddh is also president of the Supreme Privy Advisory Council to King Norodom Sihamoni.
Ouk Phalla, a classical Cambodian dancer reported to be descended from a separate royal family branch, was Prince Ranariddh’s second wife.
