The wife of Lieutenant General Oum Sam Ath, a deputy commander of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit, was killed in a car accident on Tuesday after her husband fell asleep at the wheel on the way to his base in Preah Vihear province, military police said.
Lt. Gen. Sam Ath sustained only minor injuries in the crash, but his three children and sister-in-law were sent to the hospital in Phnom Penh after he rolled his Toyota Vigo while driving around a bend at around 12:20 p.m., said Chhour Bunsong, a military police officer in Preah Vihear province’s Choam Ksan district.
“While they were traveling, the general was feeling sleepy, so his wife asked him to stop for a while, but he said there were only 10 km more until they arrived at the bodyguard unit base,” Mr. Bunsong said.
“When they arrived at a bend in the road, he was sleepy again and his Vigo rolled over for about 20 meters, leaving them injured and his wife dead.” Both Mr. Bunsong and Chea Kimseng, the governor of the district, said they did not know the general’s wife’s name because they were afraid to ask him.
