Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni gestures from a plane in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on May 23, 2019. Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Thursday left here for France to attend an event being held to celebrate the successful work done by the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor) over the past 25 years. (Xinhua/Sovannara)
PHNOM PENH, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Thursday left here for France to attend an event being held to celebrate the successful work done by the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC-Angkor) over the past 25 years.
At the Phnom Penh International Airport, the monarch was seen off by Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, National Assembly President Samdech Heng Samrin, Senate President Samdech Say Chhum, and other high-ranking figures.
In a royal message to the Cambodian people on Wednesday, Sihamoni, 66, said he would be in France from Thursday to Sunday to partake in an event commemorating the 25-year activities of the ICC-Angkor.
He said during his absence, Samdech Say Chhum, president of the senate, will assume the title of the acting Head of State of Cambodia.
ICC-Angkor was established in 1993, a year after the Angkor was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
France is the co-chair of the ICC-Angkor, which is the international mechanism for coordinating all assistance extended by different countries and organizations for preserving and developing the Angkor.
Located in northwestern Cambodia's Siem Reap province, Angkor is the most popular tourist destination in the Southeast Asian nation.
The ancient site attracted 2.59 million foreign visitors in 2018, generating gross revenue of 116 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, according to a government report.
