A warrant has been issued in Thailand for the arrest of Ekaluck Paenoi, 41, the gunman who allegedly killed Lim Kimya, 74, a former Cambodian opposition MP, near Bowonniwet Temple in Bangkok yesterday.
The arrest warrant is based on charges of premeditated murder and carrying a firearm in public without a permit.
AFP quoted multiple Thai media outlets as reporting that a gunman on a motorcycle opened fire on Lim Kimya as he arrived in the Thai capital from the Cambodian city of Siem Reap by bus, accompanied by his French wife and a Cambodian uncle.
An AFP photojournalist saw blood at the scene near the popular Khao San Road area of Bangkok.
"This brazen shooting of a former CNRP MP on the streets of Bangkok has all the hallmarks of a political assassination, and looks to be a significant escalation in the use of transnational repression," said Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights Labour Advocates.
"The French government must aggressively pursue justice for their citizen, Lim Kimya, and leave no stone unturned in pressing the Thai government to effectively and thoroughly investigate this assassination, no matter where the path leads."
- Opposition crackdown -
Lim Kimya was elected as an opposition member of Cambodia's parliament following a general poll in 2013 in which the ruling party under former leader Hun Sen almost lost to its then-rival, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).
The CNRP, which was founded in 2012 by opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha and once considered the sole viable opponent to the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), was dissolved by court order in 2017.
Scores of opposition politicians and MPs, including Lim Kimya, were banned from political activities following the party's dissolution.
Rights groups have accused Hun Sen -- who ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades before stepping down in 2023 and handing power to his eldest son, Hun Manet -- of using the legal system to crush any opposition to his rule.
Scores of opposition politicians and activists were convicted and jailed during his time in power, with challengers forced to flee and freedom of expression stifled.
Kem Sokha was arrested and was sentenced in 2023 to 27 years in prison for treason -- a charge he has repeatedly denied -- and was immediately placed under house arrest.
Sam Rainsy lives in exile in France.
Despite holding French citizenship, Lim Kimya did not join the dozens of lawmakers who fled abroad after Kem Sokha was detained.
Lim Kimya told AFP at the time in Phnom Penh: "I will never give up politics".
His fatal shooting comes the same day that the still influential Hun Sen called for a new law to label anyone who attempts to topple his son Hun Manet's government as "terrorists".
