Former Cambodian opposition politician shot dead in Bangkok – reports
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A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire on the dual Cambodian-French national as he arrived in Thai capital from Cambodia’s Siem Reap. A former Cambodian opposition MP and French citizen was shot dead by a gunman on a motorcycle in Bangkok on Tuesday, according to Thai media.
“Lim Kimya... died at the scene. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Bureau have launched a manhunt for the assassin,” the Bangkok Post reported, adding that the deceased was a dual Cambodian-French national. Thai police confirmed the death of a Cambodian man without identifying him as Lim Kimya, telling Agence France-Presse: “we are currently investigating the motives and will provide more information at a later time”.
Multiple Thai media outlets reported 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 Bangkok’s popular Khao San Road area.
“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,” said Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights Labour Advocates.
A spokesperson for the Cambodian government did not immediately respond to request for comment from the Guardian. Lim Kimya, 74, was elected as an opposition member of Cambodia’s parliament after 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).
