Crystal Dike
A Thai court on Friday sentenced Thai national Ekkalak Paenoi to life imprisonment for the January killing of prominent Cambodian opposition politician Lim Kimya in Bangkok. The original death sentence was reduced after Ekkalak confessed to the crime.
Lim, who held dual Cambodian and French nationality, was shot dead shortly after arriving in the Thai capital with his wife. Security footage showed Ekkalak calmly parking his motorbike, removing his helmet, and walking across the road before opening fire.
Ekkalak fled to Cambodia after the killing, where he was arrested and deported. He was also convicted of illegal firearm possession and ordered to pay about $55,000 in compensation to Lim’s family.
A second defendant accused of driving Ekkalak to the Cambodian border was acquitted, with the court ruling he had no knowledge of the crime.
The motive for the assassination remains unclear, though many believe it was politically driven. Lim, a former parliamentarian with the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was a well-known opposition figure. The CNRP came close to unseating long-time leader Hun Sen in 2013 before being dissolved in 2017 on treason charges.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who succeeded his father in 2023, has denied government involvement in the killing. Lim’s widow welcomed the ruling but said she still wanted authorities to uncover who ordered the crime.
Rights groups have warned of a surge in #CrossBorderRepression in Southeast Asia, noting that dissidents from Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand continue to face arrest, forced returns, or targeted attacks.