In January, Lim Kimya was fatally shot by Ekkalak Paenoi while visiting Bangkok with his spouse, Anne-Marie Lim.
A Thai court has handed down a murder-nigerian-boxer-us/” title=”Man Sentenced to Life for … of Promising 27-Year-Old Nigerian Boxer in the US”>life sentence to a Thai national for the murder of a Cambodian opposition figure in Bangkok-a killing that opposition members claim was orchestrated by Cambodia’s influential former leader, Hun Sen.
Lim Kimya, a French citizen and ex-opposition politician from Cambodia, was fatally shot on January 7 by Ekkalak Paenoi, a former marine, during a visit to Bangkok with his wife and brother.
Following the incident, Ekkalak was apprehended in Cambodia the next day and admitted to the crime in a video broadcast live online.
“The defendant’s actions inflicted harm upon the victim,” stated the Bangkok Criminal Court judge on Friday. “Given his confession, the court has commuted the sentence to life imprisonment.”
Previously, Ekkalak had been sentenced to death for premeditated murder and found guilty of illegal possession and discharge of a firearm in public, according to Nadthasiri Bergman, the attorney representing Anne-Marie Lim, the victim’s widow.
Additionally, the court mandated Ekkalak to compensate the family with 1.79 million baht (approximately $55,162).
The verdict was delivered three days into the trial, which included witness testimonies, among them that of Anne-Marie Lim.
“Anne-Marie likely finds some solace in today’s ruling, yet she remains determined to uncover who orchestrated this crime,” Bergman told reporters outside the courtroom.
“She urges authorities to thoroughly investigate the masterminds behind this act.”
“We are aware that suspects remain in Cambodia, and the Thai government could facilitate their extradition to ensure justice is served,” Bergman added.
The judge refrained from disclosing any motives or identifying potential masterminds behind the assassination.
Thai law enforcement revealed in January that they are pursuing two Cambodian nationals, Ly Ratanaksmey and Pich Kimsrin, who are wanted in connection with the murder and have fled Thailand.
On Friday, the court acquitted a second defendant, Thai citizen Chakrit Buakhil, who was accused of driving Ekkalak to the Cambodian border after the shooting.
“He was merely the driver and was unaware of the crime,” Chakrit’s lawyer, Natchapong Moosakopas, told AFP.
Both defendants appeared in court Friday morning dressed in prison attire, their hands shackled together.
Earlier reports from Thai media suggested Ekkalak received 60,000 baht (around $1,800) for the killing; however, police stated that he claimed no payment and said he committed the act “to repay a debt of gratitude.”
Lim Kimya was affiliated with the Cambodia National Rescue Party, a prominent opposition group dissolved by a court prior to the 2018 elections amid allegations of treason, which the party dismissed as fabricated.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has denied any involvement by his administration or his father, Hun Sen, in the murder.
Hun Sen, who governed Cambodia for nearly 40 years until 2023, has faced longstanding accusations from Western governments and human rights organizations of using judicial mechanisms to suppress political dissent.
Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have historically been strained, with tensions escalating sharply in July during a five-day border conflict over disputed areas along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) boundary.
The clashes resulted in at least 43 fatalities and displaced over 300,000 people on both sides, marking the most severe hostilities between the two nations in over a decade. The fighting ceased following a Malaysia-brokered truce on July 28.
