A Thai court sentenced a gunman to life imprisonment on Friday for the murder of Cambodian opposition politician Lim Kimya in Bangkok, though questions remain about who ordered the killing.
Lim, a French national and former Cambodian opposition parliamentarian, was gunned down on January 7 by Thai national Ekkalak Paenoi as he arrived in the Thai capital with his wife, Anne-Marie. Cambodian opposition figures have accused former Cambodian leader Hun Sen of involvement, though his family and party have denied any role.
Ekkalak, who was arrested in Cambodia a day after the attack and admitted to the shooting in a livestream video, faced the death penalty for premeditated murder. However, the Bangkok court reduced his sentence to life after he confessed. Prosecutors said he had carried out the crime alone, but Lim’s widow insisted authorities must probe further. “Anne-Marie is probably satisfied with today’s verdict, but she is still questioning who ordered the crime,” her lawyer, Nadhthasiri Bergman, told reporters.
Anne-Marie, also French, attended the trial earlier in the week, saying she wanted to know the “reason for this crime and who ordered it.”
Thai authorities previously said they were also pursuing two Cambodian nationals: Ly Ratanakrasksmey, accused of recruiting the gunman, and Pich Kimsrin, an alleged lookout. Media reports linked Ratanakrasksmey to Hun Sen as a former adviser, but Cambodia’s ruling party said he was dismissed in 2024.
The court dismissed charges against a second Thai defendant, Chakrit Buakhil, accused of driving Ekkalak to the Cambodian border after the shooting. His lawyer argued he was “only a driver and did not know what was happening.”
Human rights advocates said the ruling offered only “partial justice.” Am Sam Ath of Cambodian rights group Licadho urged Thai authorities to pursue remaining suspects, saying, “We want to see an investigation into people involved.”
Lim served as a Cambodian opposition MP between 2013 and 2017 before his party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was banned. He later withdrew from politics and returned to France before relocating to Thailand.
Police sources told local media that Ekkalak may have been promised 60,000 baht (around $1,800) for the hit, though he claimed he never received payment and acted out of “a debt of gratitude.”
The case has fueled concerns over political violence spilling beyond Cambodia’s borders, with Lim’s widow continuing to press for answers about the mastermind behind her husband’s assassination.