Hun Sen Says Cambodian King’s Surgery in Beijing Successful

Hun Sen Says Cambodian King’s Surgery in Beijing Successful

BEIJING, April 20, 2026 — Former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that surgery performed on King Norodom Sihamoni in Beijing had been successful, offering reassurance after concerns over the monarch’s health.

In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Hun Sen said Chinese doctors carried out the operation on the morning of April 20 at a hospital in the Chinese capital.

He said the king had regained consciousness after anesthesia and was under close medical observation as doctors monitored his post-surgery recovery.

“The surgery has been successful,” Hun Sen said, adding that both King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk expressed gratitude to monks and citizens who had sent wishes for the monarch’s recovery.

Hun Sen also thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese government and the medical team for what he described as their close attention to the king’s health and the safe completion of the procedure.

Hun Sen said he, along with his two sons Hun Manith and Hun Many, had arrived in Beijing on April 17 to accompany the king and queen mother during what he called a difficult period.

“The health of the king is the health of the whole nation,” he wrote.

Cambodia’s royal palace announced earlier this month that the monarch would undergo surgery in Beijing, where members of the Cambodian royal family have long received medical treatment.

Hun Sen said he planned to return to Cambodia on April 22 if the king’s condition continues to improve.

King Norodom Sihamoni, who has reigned since 2004, is widely respected in Cambodia and plays a unifying constitutional role in the Southeast Asian kingdom.