Cambodian ex-MP’s killer jailed for life in Thailand
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Thai national Ekkalak Paenoi being escorted into a police van to transport him to the Criminal Court from Chana Songkram Police Station in Bangkok on Jan 13.
PHOTO: AFP
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Bangkok - A Thai gunman was sentenced to life in prison on Oct 3 for the murder of a Cambodian opposition politician in Bangkok, a judge said.
French national Lim Kimya, a former opposition MP in Cambodia, was shot dead on Jan 7 by Thai gunman Ekkalak Paenoi
Cambodian opposition figures have accused the country’s former prime minister Hun Sen of ordering the shooting, and Mr Lim’s widow, Ms Anne-Marie Lim, has called for a full accounting of who was behind it.
“The actions of the first defendant caused harm to the plaintiff,” the Bangkok Criminal Court judge said on Oct 3. “Since he confessed, the court reduced the sentence to life imprisonment.”
Ekkalak was arrested in Cambodia a day after the shooting and he confessed to committing the murder in a live-streamed video.
The trial began with an examination of witnesses, including Ms Lim. “Anne-Marie is probably satisfied with today’s verdict but she is questioning who ordered the crime,” said her lawyer Nadhthasiri Bergman. “We know the suspects are in Cambodia and (the Thai government) could help push the extradition process to bring them to justice.”
The judge did not give details about the killer’s motive or a possible mastermind behind the murder.
Thai police said in January they were seeking to arrest a Cambodian national believed to be behind the killing.
The court on Oct 3 dismissed the charges against a second defendant, Thai national Chakrit Buakhil, who was accused of driving Ekkalak to the Cambodian border after the shooting. “He was only a driver and did not know what was happening,” said Chakrit’s lawyer Natchapong Moosakopas.
Some Thai media outlets have reported that Ekkalak was paid 60,000 baht (S$2,400) for the killing, but police said he claimed he did not receive payment and took the job “to pay a debt of gratitude”.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet has denied his government or his father Hun Sen was involved in the murder.
The former premier led Cambodia for nearly four decades until 2023, and Western nations and rights groups have long accused his government of using the legal system to crush the opposition. AFP
