Bangkok’s bustling Khaosan Road, popular with tourists and backpackers, was the scene of a chilling political assassination on January 7, 2025. Lim Kimya, a 74-year-old former Cambodian opposition lawmaker and dual Cambodian-French citizen, was shot dead in broad daylight just hours after arriving in Thailand with his wife and brother. The brazen nature of the killing, caught on security cameras, has sent shockwaves through both Thailand and Cambodia, raising urgent questions about the safety of political exiles and the shadowy reach of transnational political violence.
The man convicted of the murder, Ekkalak Paenoi—also known as "Sergeant M"—is a 41-year-old former Royal Thai Navy technician and motorcycle taxi driver. According to Reuters and the Associated Press, Ekkalak arrived at the crime scene on a motorbike, fired three shots at Lim Kimya as he sat in his vehicle near the 13 Shopping Center in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district, and then calmly rode away without even covering his face. The attack took place at around 5:30 p.m., in one of the city’s busiest tourist districts, underscoring the boldness of the operation.
Within hours of the shooting, Ekkalak fled Thailand, crossing into neighboring Cambodia through the Khao Din Permanent Border Crossing Point in Sa Kaeo province at 11:41 p.m. Thai police, working closely with Cambodian authorities, tracked him down to Battambang, where he was detained before being transferred to Phnom Penh. He was extradited back to Thailand on January 11, 2025, and confessed to the crime soon after his arrest. "The suspect confessed to the crime and to being the person in the arrest warrant. He looked stressed," Somprasong Yentuam, assistant national police chief, told reporters, as cited by Reuters.
On October 3, 2025, the Bangkok Criminal Court handed down its verdict. Ekkalak was found guilty of premeditated murder, carrying a weapon, and discharging a firearm in public. The court initially sentenced him to death, but commuted the penalty to life imprisonment due to his confession and cooperation with authorities. In addition, Ekkalak was ordered to pay 1.79 million baht (approximately $55,100) in compensation to Lim Kimya’s widow, Anne-Marie Lim. Nadthasiri Bergman, a lawyer for the victim’s family, said after the ruling that her client may file an appeal for a higher compensation amount and called on police to intensify efforts to apprehend others involved in the crime.
A second defendant, taxi driver Chakit (or Chamnan) Buaplee—also referred to as Chakrit Buakhli in some reports—was acquitted. Prosecutors alleged he had driven Ekkalak to the Cambodian border for 4,500 baht immediately after the shooting, but the court found insufficient evidence that he knew about or intended to help the gunman evade justice. The verdict aligns with statements from the victim’s legal team, who described the ruling as "only one step in the investigation of the crime committed against Lim Kimya, as other suspects are still at large or unidentified, and they currently enjoy total impunity," according to AP.
Indeed, the case remains far from closed. Thai police have issued arrest warrants for two Cambodian nationals—Ly Ratanaksmey and Pich Kimsrin—believed to have been involved in hiring Ekkalak or providing intelligence for the assassination. Both suspects fled Thailand and are still at large in Cambodia, as of this writing. Ekkalak himself has refused to identify who ordered the hit, claiming only that he took the job out of gratitude to a benefactor who had supported him. The Bangkok trial never established ultimate responsibility for the killing, leaving the question of who orchestrated the attack unanswered.
Lim Kimya’s family, particularly his widow, has been vocal in calling for a full accounting of those behind the assassination. As reported by AFP and Reuters, Cambodian opposition figures have openly accused the country’s former long-serving leader, Hun Sen, of ordering the shooting. Lim Kimya was a member of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), a popular opposition movement that was dissolved by a Cambodian court ahead of the 2018 elections over an alleged treason plot—a charge the party dismissed as fabricated. The Cambodian government, led by the Cambodian People’s Party for over four decades, has denied persecuting opposition figures, but its record has been widely criticized by human rights organizations for a ruthless crackdown on political dissent, including extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances.
Human rights activists see Lim Kimya’s murder as part of a broader pattern of attacks on dissidents in Southeast Asia. According to AP, the region has witnessed a series of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances targeting exiled activists from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Lim Kimya, though not a prominent opposition leader, had posted messages critical of Cambodia’s government on his Facebook page in the months leading up to his death. His killing in a foreign country, under such public circumstances, has heightened fears among political exiles and rights advocates about their vulnerability—even outside their home nations.
The political context in Cambodia is crucial to understanding the gravity of this case. Former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who ruled for nearly forty years, was succeeded in August 2023 by his son, Hun Manet. However, as noted by AP, there have been few signs of political liberalization or a break from the repressive tactics of the past. The CNRP’s dissolution and the subsequent imprisonment or exile of its members remain emblematic of the government’s approach to dissent.
Meanwhile, the Thai authorities have faced their own challenges in handling politically sensitive crimes involving foreign nationals. Thailand has long been regarded as a haven for exiles from neighboring countries, but recent high-profile cases have cast doubt on the safety of dissidents seeking refuge within its borders. The visibility and audacity of the Lim Kimya assassination have only intensified scrutiny on the Thai government’s ability to protect such individuals and to hold all perpetrators accountable.
As the legal process continues, Lim Kimya’s family and supporters remain steadfast in their demand for justice. "We want the Thai authorities to continue with their investigation and bring the other two to justice," Nadthasiri Bergman, the family’s lawyer, told Reuters. The broader community of Cambodian exiles and democracy advocates will be watching closely, hoping this case will not end with just one man behind bars, but will instead mark a turning point in the fight against impunity for transnational political violence.
The streets of Bangkok may have returned to their usual rhythm, but the unresolved threads of this case linger—a stark reminder of the risks faced by those who dare to challenge entrenched power, even far from home.
