Cambodian King dismisses agriculture minister

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni on Saturday signed a royal decree to sack Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon from his post.

In the royal decree, the king said, "Veng Sakhon is dismissed from the post of the minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries."

"Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, must take responsibility to implement this royal decree from the day of signature," the king said.

Sakhon, 62, had held the post of the minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries since April 2016.

It's rare that a minister is fired from a job in the Southeast Asian nation. No reasons were explained for the dismissal, but in February, Hun Sen warned to dismiss Sakhon for incompetence and non-cooperation with other government ministries.

On Saturday, Hun Sen also made a decision, designating Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth as the acting minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, in addition to his current job.