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Writer's pictureManushya Foundation
16 minutes ago

🚨 #TransnationalRepression: Former Cambodian Opposition Party Member Lim Kimya Shot Dead in Thailand!


🚨 What Happened?


On the evening of January 7, 2025, Lim Kimya, a 74-year-old former opposition MP from the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) and a prominent political activist, was fatally shot near the median strip opposite Wat Bowonniwet Vihara in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon District.


Lim Kimya, also a French citizen, had just arrived in Bangkok from Siem Reap by bus, accompanied by his French wife.


On January 8, a Thai criminal court issued an arrest warrant against the suspected perpetrator, identified as a 41-year-old motorcycle taxi driver and former Thai marine. The suspected gunman was later arrested by Thai authorities in Pratabong, Cambodia and handed over to the Internal Security Operations Command in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.


🧑‍⚖️ Who Was Lim Kimya, and Why Was He a Target?


Lim Kimya was a dedicated member of the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which firmly opposed Cambodia’s authoritarian regime under former Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The CNRP’s dissolution in 2017 by court order banned over 100 members from holding political office for five years, triggering widespread persecution of its members.


While Lim Kimya held dual Cambodian and French citizenship and had the option to seek asylum abroad, he chose to remain in Cambodia, living discreetly. He recently became increasingly vocal against the regime’s injustices, and posted critical political comments on his Facebook, four days before his assassination. 


This courageous stance made him a prime target in a political landscape marred by intimidation, violence, and repression.


⚠️ Transnational Repression is Escalating in Thailand


Although Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona has denied any involvement in Lim Kimya’s murder, Manushya Foundation firmly believes this is an act of transnational repression, with Cambodian authorities operating with impunity on Thai soil.

It’s worth noting that this brutal killing occurred mere hours after Hun Sen backed a new law criminalizing ‘terrorists’, a term now weaponized to target anyone opposing the regime.

This murder is not an isolated incident. It follows a disturbing pattern of transnational repression against Cambodian dissidents seeking safety in Thailand:


  • In November 2024, six Cambodian activists were deported, imprisoned, and charged with treason upon their return to Cambodia.

  • In February 2024, three political activists and UNHCR-registered refugees—Kung Raiya, Phorn Phana, and Lem Sokha—were arrested by Thai authorities just before Cambodian PM Hun Manet’s visit. They were later released on bail in June 2024, with two activists resettled to the United States.

  • In December 2023, Thai authorities arrested ten Cambodian activist refugees while attending the Paris Peace Agreement course in Bangkok.

  • In August 2023, Phorn Phana was brutally attacked by three Khmer-speaking men in Rayong Province.

This escalating pattern exposes a deep failure by Thai authorities to provide protection to vulnerable exiled activists and to uphold their international human rights obligations.


✊ Our Call to Action


Manushya Foundation unequivocally condemns the brutal extrajudicial killing of Lim Kimya and stands in solidarity with his family and all Cambodian pro-democracy activists forced into exile for their courageous work.


We urge the French government to press both Cambodia and Thailand to immediately and impartially investigate this heinous crime and ensure those responsible are held accountable.

Both governments must end their complicity in transnational repression and stop shielding one another from accountability for the systematic targeting and silencing of democracy activists.

Thailand’s seat at the UN Human Rights Council demands higher standards. We expect better!! 


#WeAreManushyan ♾️ Equal Human Beings



References


1. Matichon. (2025, January 7). อดีต ส.ส.กัมพูชาถูกยิงเสียชีวิตในไทย คาดเกี่ยวข้องการเมืองข้ามชาติ [Former Cambodian MP shot dead in Thailand, suspected transnational political link]. Retrieved from https://www.matichon.co.th/local/news_4988718

2. Bangkok Post. (2025, January 7). Former Cambodian MP shot dead in Bangkok. Retrieved from https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2934876/former-cambodian-mp-shot-dead-in-bangkok

3. The Nation Thailand. (2025, January 7). Cambodian MP shot dead in Thailand in suspected political assassination. Retrieved from https://www.nationthailand.com/news/asean/40044923

4. Reuters. (2025, January 8). Thai police seek arrest of suspected killer of former Cambodian lawmaker. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-police-seek-arrest-suspected-killer-former-cambodian-lawmaker-2025-01-08/

5. Matichon. (2025, January 8). ผบ.ตร.เผยคดีอดีต ส.ส.กัมพูชาถูกยิงคืบหน้า รอหลักฐานมัดตัวผู้ก่อเหตุ [Thai police chief reveals progress in the case of former Cambodian MP shooting, awaiting evidence to implicate the perpetrator]. Retrieved from https://www.matichon.co.th/local/news_4990666

6. Sochua, Mu. (2025, January 8). Cambodian authorities must be held accountable for Lim Kimya’s murder. Retrieved from https://x.com/sochua_mu/status/1876951341437739132?s=46&t=952Pecy7C9o0frOna-LvDA

7. Channel News Asia. (2025, January 7). Cambodia’s ex-PM Hun Sen backs new law to punish ‘terrorist’ Khmer Rouge supporters. Retrieved from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/cambodia-ex-pm-hun-sen-hun-manet-new-law-punish-terrorist-khmer-rogue-4842606

8. Manushya Foundation. (2024, December). #StopTransnationalRepression: Deportation of Cambodian Refugees. Retrieved from https://www.manushyafoundation.org/post/stop-transnationalrepression-deportation-of-cambodian-refugees

9. The Diplomat. (2024, December). Cambodia deportations undermine Thailand’s UN Human Rights Council credentials. Retrieved from https://thediplomat.com/2024/12/cambodia-deportations-undermine-thailands-un-human-rights-council-credentials/

10. Manushya Foundation. (2024, May). #StopTransnationalRepression: Silenced and Stranded Cambodian Refugees in Bangkok. Retrieved from https://www.manushyafoundation.org/post/stoptransnationalrepression-silenced-and-stranded-cambodian-refugees-in-bangkok

11. Manushya Foundation. (2024, February). #Breaking: Transnational Repression – 3 Cambodian Activists and Their Families Arrested in Thailand. Retrieved from https://www.manushyafoundation.org/post/breaking-transnationalrepression-3-cambodian-activists-and-their-families-arrested-in-thailand

12. CamboJA News. (2024, January). Seven Cambodian refugees nabbed by Thai police await UNHCR help. Retrieved from https://cambojanews.com/seven-cambodian-refugees-nabbed-by-thai-police-await-unhcr-help/

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