Veteran Politician Kong Koam in Hospital
Veteran politician Kong Koam is being treated at Calmette Hospital for heart disease and pneumonia.
- By Lay Sopheavotey
- October 26, 2023 2:05 PM
PHNOM PENH – Veteran politician Kong Koam is being treated at Calmette Hospital for heart disease and pneumonia.
Kong Monika, Koam’s youngest son, said the 83-year-old had recovered slightly after being admitted on Oct. 24.
Doctors were monitoring his health and he would be released from hospital this week if his condition improves, said Monika, who is president of the Khmer Will Party.
Koam served in the Cambodian People’s Party from 1979 to 1993 before joining the opposition Khmer National Party, led by Sam Rainsy.
The party later changed its name to the Sam Rainsy Party and merged with the Human Rights Party, led by Kem Sokha in 2012.
After the merger, the two leaders formed a party called the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) to contest the 2013 election. Koam also served as a political adviser until the party was dissolved by the Supreme Court in November 2016.
Koam was among 118 party officials banned from political activity for five years. It was not until 2019 that he regained his political rights and decided to join Monika’s Khmer Will Party as an adviser and honorary president.
When the Khmer Will Party joined the Candlelight Party in November 2022, Koam was appointed by the Candlelight Party as the supreme advisor.
However, he resigned from the party after receiving a warning from former Prime Minister Hun Sen. He has rarely appeared in public since.
