The Thai killer of Cambodia politician Lim Kimya sentenced to life prison

A Thai court sentenced a man to life prison for killing an eminent politician from the Cambodian opposition in Bangkok.

In January, a few hours after the arrival of Lim Kimya in the Thai capital with his wife, he was shot in public by the National Ekkalak Paenoi. Ekkalak then fled to Cambodia, where he was arrested and expelled.

Ekkalak had initially received the death penalty, but this was commissioned in life prison due to its murder confessions, the court said on Friday.

The reason for the murder of Lim Kimya remains uncertain – although it has been largely suspected of being a politically motivated assassination.

Politicians and opposition activists are often imprisoned and harassed in Cambodia, where the authorities have little tolerance for political dissent.

Lim Kimya, who had the dual Cambodian and French nationality, was a former parliamentarian of the main opposition party of Cambodia, the National Rescue Party of Cambodia (CNRP).

The CNRP was close to defeating the party for a long time of the former Hun Sen leader in 2013.

After Hun Sen accused the Tresh CNRP, the party was prohibited in 2017 and its members were prohibited from participating in political activities.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet – who succeeded his father Hun Sen in 2023 – denied that the government was involved in the murder of Lim.

The images of the January security camera showed that Ekkalak park its motorcycle, removing its helmet and calmly walking on the road before the gunshots return.

Ekkalak was also found guilty of having worn and used a firearm, and ordered to pay around $ 55,000 (£ 40,800) to the family of Lim Kimya.

The court rejected an accusation against another accused – a Thai national accused of having led Ekkalak to the Cambodian border after the shooting – on the grounds that he was only a driver who did not know the murder.

Lim Kimya’s widow’s widow told AFP news agency that it was “probably satisfied” on Friday’s verdict, although “she was still wondering who ordered the crime”.

“She wants the authorities to reach this.”

In recent years, dozens of activists fleeing the repression in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand have been sent after looking for a sanctuary, or in some cases have been killed or disappeared.

Human rights groups believe that there is an unwritten agreement between the four neighboring countries to allow the other security forces to pursue dissidents over the border.