Cambodia's PM disowns daughter for being gay

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Cambodian's prime minister said Tuesday he was severing ties with his adopted daughter, who is a lesbian, but appealed to people not to discriminate against gay people.

"My adopted daughter now has a wife. I'm quite disappointed," Hun Sen said.

He made the rare revelation about his closely guarded family life during a public speech at a student graduation ceremony.

Cambodian society, like that of neighboring Thailand, is generally tolerant of homosexuality. In 2004, then-King Norodom Sihanouk announced his support for gay rights, including the right to marry.

Hun Sen said he plans to file a civil court case to disown his adopted daughter so that she cannot claim any inheritance from his family. "We are concerned that she might one day cause us trouble ... and try to stake her claim for a share of our assets," he said.

The prime minister and his wife, Bun Rany, have three sons and two other daughters. He said they adopted their third daughter in the mid 1980s when she was 18 days old. She has carried his family name, "Hun," just like his biological children.

Despite his action toward his daughter, Hun Sen in his speech to the graduating class at the National Institute of Education appealed to parents and society not to discriminate against gay people.