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| Thai police officers escort Ekkalak Pheanoi, center, the accused in the shooting of Cambodian politician Lim Kimya, after he was deported from Cambodia, in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Panumas Sanguanwong) |
Lim Kimya, a former lawmaker from the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was fatally shot on January 7 near Bangkok’s Khaosan Road, a bustling neighborhood popular with international backpackers. While the killer has been brought to justice, the trial failed to uncover who may have masterminded the politically charged murder.
The gunman, identified as Ekkalak Pheanoi, was convicted after confessing to the crime. He fled the scene on a motorcycle and managed to cross the border into Cambodia but was later arrested and extradited by Cambodian authorities.
During the investigation, Ekkalak admitted to officials that he had been hired to carry out the shooting. However, the trial did not reveal the identity of the person or group who ordered the hit, leaving questions of ultimate responsibility unanswered.
The Bangkok Criminal Court initially handed Ekkalak the death penalty for premeditated murder. This sentence was immediately commuted to life imprisonment in accordance with Thai legal practice, acknowledging his confession and cooperation with the authorities.
The court also ordered Ekkalak to pay 1.7 million baht ($55,100) in compensation to the victim's family.
Human rights activists have contextualized the killing as part of a disturbing pattern of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances of political dissidents in exile, a trend observed in recent years across Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Prior to his murder, Lim Kimya’s Facebook page featured posts critical of the Cambodian government.
Security camera footage from the scene was crucial to the investigation. It captured the unmasked shooter arriving on a motorcycle, firing three shots that caused the victim to collapse, and then calmly fleeing the scene.
Thai police have also issued arrest warrants for two Cambodian men in connection with the case. One is suspected of hiring Ekkalak, while the other is believed to have helped identify Lim Kimya for the assassin. Both suspects are thought to have fled to Cambodia and remain at large.
In a statement, the legal team for Lim Kimya’s family welcomed the verdict but emphasized that it was "only one step in the investigation of the crime." They stressed that "other suspects are still at large or have not been identified, and they currently enjoy total impunity."
Nadthasiri Bergman, one of the family’s lawyers, told reporters in Bangkok that her clients would likely appeal for a higher amount of compensation. She urged the police to intensify their efforts to apprehend the two remaining suspects.
The case also brings into focus the political climate in Cambodia. The nation was led for nearly four decades by former Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose rule was widely criticized for human rights abuses and the severe repression of political opponents. His U.S.-educated son, Hun Manet, succeeded him in August 2023, but observers have seen few signs of political liberalization.
In a related verdict on Friday, the court acquitted another Thai man, Chakrit Buakhli, who had been accused of acting as an accomplice by driving Ekkalak to the Cambodian border after the murder. The court ruled that Chakrit was merely a hired driver and was not involved in the assassination plot.