Ekkalak Paenoi is escorted by police officers as he arrives in Thailand after being transferred from Cambodia to Thai authorities, in Bangkok on January 11, 2025. CHALINEE THIRASUPA / REUTERS A Thai man suspected of killing a former MP Cambodian opposition figure, Lim Kimya, in Bangkok, confessed to his crime, Thai police announced on Saturday January 11. “I admit that I did wrong,” Ekkalak Paenoi told police and media after being charged with premeditated murder and unauthorized possession of firearms. “If I dared to do it, I dare to admit it,” he added. Lim Kimya, a former lawmaker for the now-disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was shot dead in the street on Tuesday by a motorcyclist as he arrived by bus in Bangkok from Cambodia with his French wife. Cambodian opposition figures have accused Hun Sen, the country’s powerful former leader, of sponsoring the act. France also condemned the assassination of Lim Kimya, who held French nationality. A Cambodian government spokesperson denied any official involvement in the killing. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers A former Cambodian opposition MP killed in Bangkok Read later Arrest warrant for an accomplice Cambodian police said they arrested the suspect on Wednesday and took him to the Thai border following an extradition request. The suspect, a former soldier according to Cambodian police, was then transferred to Bangkok on Saturday by a Thai police helicopter. “We cannot yet determine the motives, please give us time,” Somprasong Yenthuam, a senior police official, told reporters. He said an arrest warrant was also issued for a Cambodian accomplice. A Cambodian government spokesperson denied any official involvement in the killing. Sanong Sangmanee, the police chief of downtown Bangkok where the killing took place, told Agence France-Presse that the killer, who worked as a motorcycle taxi driver, will be detained in the awaiting his trial. Many Cambodian opposition activists have fled to Thailand in recent years to escape the repression they reportedly face in their country. Some were arrested and deported to their country. The NCSP, which was dissolved by court order in 2017, said in a statement that it was shocked by the “heinous and inhumane” killing of Lim Kimya and condemned a “brutal act that seriously threatens political freedom.” Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover Hun Sen ruled Cambodia with an iron fist for nearly forty years, rights groups accusing him of using the justice system to crush opposition to his regime. He stepped down and handed over power to his son Hun Manet in 2023, but he is still considered very powerful in the kingdom. For his part, Cambodian opposition figure Sam Rainsy, who lives in exile in France, denounced the “political” assassination of his “colleague” by “Hun Sen’s henchmen”. Read also (2023): Article reserved for our subscribers Hun Sen, strong man of Cambodia for thirty-eight years, leaves his place to his son, General Hun Manet Read later Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
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Author : News7
Publish date : 2025-01-12 00:24:04
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