Hun Sen offers sympathies to France over Notre Dame de Paris fire

Bystanders on the Pont de la Tournelle watch in shock as Notre Dame burns. commons.wikimedia.org/Bouette

Prime Minister Hun Sen has written a letter to French Prime Minister Edouard Phillippe to offer his sympathy to the French government and people over the destruction of the 850 year-old ironic cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris, destroyed by an extensive fire on Monday, April 15.

In the letter obtained by Khmer Times today, the Prime Minister stated that, “The terrible image of flames on the church roof shatters us deeply. Notre Dame Cathedral represents Paris, and what we have seen causes us so much sorrow. We feel the same sadness as all our friends in France.

“We are deeply moved by this incident because we acknowledge that the people who built the church had the same motivation as those who built Angkor Wat, and in the same era. These initiators sent a message to the world for centuries. Nothing can blot this message out.”

The famous cathedral of Notre Dame was devastated by fire on Monday, causing a great loss of cultural heritage. The incineration of the structure came as a shock to all French people – and the world.

According to the BBC, the cause of the fire as yet unknown, but it’s considered an accident.  Possible links to the renovation work on the building are being investigated.

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to have the ravaged structure restore rebuild within five years, and more beautiful than before.