Former dancer and cultural diplomat Prince Norodom Sihamoni, 51, was elected Cambodia’s new monarch, replacing his ailing father king Norodom Sihanouk who abdicated last week. Sihamoni was chosen in a unanimous vote by a throne council, as had been widely expected and in line with the wishes of his 81-year-old father. The council “voted to elect a new king of Cambodia, with great and remarkable success. The new king is named Norodom Sihamoni,” chairman Chea Sim said at the end of an unprecedented meeting later broadcast on state-run television. “This is a golden opportunity of priceless value in the history of the… kingdom of Cambodia,” he told the other eight members of the council before they voted. Full Story