Cambodian former opposition politician’s killer jailed for life in Thailand
Key Takeaways
- A Thai court sentenced gunman Ekkalak Paenoi to life imprisonment for murdering Cambodian opposition politician Lim Kimya in Bangkok.
- The sentence was reduced from death due to the gunman's confession, and he was ordered to pay compensation to the victim's family.
- The victim's widow is seeking further investigation to identify and bring to justice the alleged mastermind, whom opposition figures link to former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.
- Thai authorities are also seeking two other Cambodian nationals connected to the killing who have fled Thailand.
- Lim Kimya was a member of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, and the murder occurs amid long-standing political tensions involving Cambodia's former leadership.
A Thai court handed down a life sentence to Ekkalak Paenoi, a Thai gunman, for the premeditated murder of Cambodian opposition politician Lim Kimya, who was shot dead in Bangkok on January 7. The Bangkok Criminal Court reduced the initial death sentence because the defendant confessed to the crime in a livestreamed video and ordered him to pay 1.79 million baht in compensation to the victim's family. Lim Kimya’s widow, Anne-Marie Lim, expressed satisfaction with the verdict but emphasized the need for authorities to uncover who ordered the assassination, suggesting suspects remain in Cambodia. Thai police are also seeking two other Cambodian nationals in connection with the killing, though charges were dismissed against a third defendant accused of driving the gunman away. Opposition figures have long accused Cambodia’s powerful former leader, Hun Sen, of ordering the hit, an accusation his son, Prime Minister Hun Manet, has denied. The case highlights ongoing political tensions between Cambodia's ruling party and the opposition, set against a backdrop of historic border disputes between Thailand and Cambodia.
