CNRP lawmaker and former prime minister Pen Sovann is preparing to return to Cambodia after receiving treatment in Singapore for a stroke he suffered last month that left him partially paralyzed, an opposition spokesman said Sunday.
Mr. Sovann, who served as the first post-Khmer Rouge prime minister of Cambodia for a brief period in 1981, was allowed to leave the hospital Friday and is now recovering from his stroke in a hotel, according to CNRP spokesman Yem Ponhearith.
“Pen Sovann left hospital to stay in a hotel until he is permitted by his doctor to fly to Cambodia,” he said. “He is not like he was before, since we saved his life. One side of his body is paralyzed. I heard it is the right side of his body.”
Yet Mr. Ponhearith said that the opposition party would not be replacing Mr. Sovann, who is 78, as one of its 55 lawmakers despite the partial paralysis he will now suffer from.
“We will keep this position for him until his tenure expires,” he said. “He has recovered a lot now but he cannot talk right now because he is just able to open his eyes and listen.”
“The total [medical] expenses have been about $100,000,” Mr. Ponhearith added.
