A CPP senator and former military official during the Lon Nol regime died from heart problems Monday in Long Beach, in the US state of California.
Pel Nal, 71, was receiving medical treatment in the US for two weeks prior to his death, said Oum Sarith, general secretary for the Senate. Doctors in Phnom Penh who were treating him for his heart condition advised him to travel to the US to seek medical attention. Oum Sarith said Pel Nal suffered many health ailments, including heart disease, high blood pressure and stomach cancer.
Pel Nal received a teaching certificate when he lived in the US from 1975 to 1978 as well as a diploma in French from a university in France, Oum Sarith said. Pen Nal’s replacement is Toch Sak, a CPP official. Toch Sak’s appointment as senator is waiting for confirmation by King Norodom Sihanouk.
