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).
The CNRP, which was founded in 2012 by opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha and once considered the sole viable opponent to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), was dissolved by court order in 2017.
Scores of opposition politicians and MPs, including Lim Kimya, were banned from political activities after the party’s dissolution.
Rights groups have accused Hun Sen – who ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades before stepping down in 2023 and handing power to his eldest son, Hun Manet – of using the legal system to crush any opposition to his rule.
Scores of opposition politicians and activists were convicted and jailed during his time in power, with challengers forced to flee and freedom of expression stifled.
The Cambodian government has always denied that charges against political and environmental activists have been politically motivated.
Kem Sokha was arrested and was sentenced in 2023 to 27 years in prison for treason – a charge he has repeatedly denied – and was immediately placed under house arrest.
Sam Rainsy lives in exile in France.
Despite holding French citizenship, Lim Kimya did not join the dozens of lawmakers who fled abroad after Kem Sokha was detained.
Lim Kimya told AFP at the time in Phnom Penh: “I will never give up politics”.
