lest he meet the fate of his brother

Cambodian strongman changes his birthday to ease his fear of death

Hun Sen seeks to extend his life with an incorrect birth certificate.

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The Cambodian prime minister's health has always been in question, with many speculating that heavy smoking and decades in power must have had an impact on Hun Sen, but despite claiming he quit the habit years ago, the former Khmer Rouge officer has not. His "long life" is by chance, declaring that he will change his date of birth, in an attempt to avoid the sudden death, which he believes has befallen his brother.

Although the 4th of April 1951 has been adopted as his birthday for decades, the strongman said he would carry over his birthday to August 5th, 1952.

He blamed an administrative error, but also hinted that he would suffer the same fate as his older brother, who died of heart disease this month at the age of 72, and was also using an incorrect birthday.

Like the Chinese, Cambodians use animals to represent astrological years, and the prime minister's brother has changed his birthday to indicate he was born in the year of the tiger, rather than the year of the cow.

Hun Sen said his unofficial birth date may conflict with his horoscope, which "should not be ignored".

The use of an unofficial birthday is not uncommon in Cambodia, where many people calculate their age from the day they reach their first year.

Many of Hun Sen's generation either lost or destroyed their birth certificates during the Khmer Rouge ruthlessness in the 1970s, or changed them to avoid military conscription later.

While his official age will remain 69, as it is at present, Hoon acknowledged that the change could cause some domestic legal and diplomatic complications.

• Like the Chinese, Cambodians use animals to represent sidereal years.

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