BANGKOK — A Thai gunman was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the killing of a Cambodian opposition politician in Bangkok, with the former lawmaker’s widow left questioning who ordered the killing.
Lim Kimya, 74, a former legislator and member of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) as well as an outspoken critic of veteran Cambodian leader Hun Sen, was shot dead by Aekaluck Paenoi, a former Thai Marine, in footage captured on closed circuit television in the afternoon of Jan. 7 on a busy street in Bangkok.
Two Cambodian suspects remain wanted by Thai authorities for their alleged involvement. Arrest warrants and Interpol “red notices” were issued in January.
Cambodian opposition figures have accused the country’s powerful former leader Hun Sen of ordering the shooting, and Lim Kimya’s widow called this week for a full accounting of who was behind it.
Aekaluck faced a potential death sentence in Thailand for premeditated murder, but a judge said Friday that the Bangkok court reduced his sentence to life imprisonment since he confessed. A man who provided Aekaluck with transportation during the escape was acquitted.
Lim Kimya’s widow Anne-Marie Lim, also known as Lim Ani, who was called as a witness at the trial opening on Tuesday, was not present at the verdict. The judges also ruled that the Aekaluck pay 1.7 million baht (US$52,452) compensation to Lim Kimya’s family.
“Anne-Marie is probably satisfied with today’s verdict, but she is still questioning who ordered the crime,” her lawyer Nadhthasiri Bergman told reporters outside the court on Friday. “She wants authorities to get to the bottom of it.”
Thai police in January identified two Cambodian suspects they believe to be involved in the killing: Ly Ratanakrasksmey, accused of having recruited the gunman, and Pich Kimsrin, the alleged lookout who local media has reported was on the bus alongside the victim and his wife.
Days after the killing, following media reports that Ratanakrasksmey was a former adviser to Hun Sen, Cambodia’s ruling party released a statement saying he was dismissed from the role in March 2024.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who is the eldest son of Hun Sen, and other government officials have denied any official involvement.
“I still also feel that there is something the police could do in investigating and try to get the additional two people that (are) already identified into a justice process,” Bergman told reporters.
In February, Lim Ani told RFA Khmer that her husband’s killing was “definitely political.”
“He exposed the injustices that happened in Cambodia,” she said.
Thai officials earlier this year issued arrest warrants for two suspected Cambodian accomplices in the shooting. A Ministry of Interior spokesman told RFA Khmer that the Cambodian constitution doesn’t allow for the extradition of Cambodian nationals.
Am Sam Ath, operations director of Cambodian rights group Licadho, told the AFP news agency that the life sentence for the Thai gunman offered partial justice for Lim Kimya, who was a dual French and Cambodian citizen.
“Since Lim Kimya is also a Cambodian, we want to see that Thai authorities and the Thai court conduct further investigations in order to render full justice for him,” Am Sam Ath said.
“We want to see an investigation into people involved (in the killing).”
With reporting by AFP and Reuters.
