Royal Watch

Voice of America reports "Cambodian Prince Warns of Former King's Weakening Health" with audio by Kate Woodsome.

Gives a potted history of the elderly monarch who abdicated in October because of poor health. But the mercurial leader has remained vocal about the country's political and social affairs as a blogger.

Sihanouk's sharp-tongued Internet postings about corruption, prostitution and Prime Minister Hun Sen's government kept him a star in this Southeast Asian nation.

The monarch's pen pal Ruom Ritt, widely believed to be a pseudonym for Sihanouk, also has used the Internet to blast Hun Sen for his strongman tactics.

The diatribes came to a head last month, prompting an angry reaction from Hun Sen, who suggested Ruom Ritt should hurry up and die.

Sihanouk announced neither he nor his pen friend would publish any more commentaries about Cambodian politics.

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