Cambodian police arrest suspect in politician's Bangkok shooting

The gunman is a Thai national, and a former Thai marine,

Cambodian National Police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun told AFP

What has happened in the last 24 hours really sends a chill down the spine for any Cambodian political activists that Bangkok is not a safe place,

she told AFP

Sam Rainsyopposition leaders

Hun Sen’s hand can be seen behind the assassination of Lim Kimya, just as it has been behind the countless political crimes in Cambodia that have always gone unpunished,

Sam Rainsy said in a statement posted on his Facebook page

We have gathered evidence and know who is the perpetrator … Right now we are working to arrest him,

Siam told reporters

Thai authorities should promptly and thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible,

Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch said in a statement

We are investigating the motives. As of now, we don't have much information apart from the fact that he works as a motorcycle taxi driver,

area police chief Sanong Sangmanee told AFP

The CNRP strongly condemns this barbaric act, which is a serious threat to political freedom

the statement said

The direct impact will be to severely intimidate the hundreds of Cambodian political opposition figures, NGO activists, and human rights defenders who have already fled to Thailand to escape PM Hun Manet's campaign of political repression in Cambodia,

he added

This collaborative approach is not coincidental but strategically designed. Both countries share similar authoritarian impulses, with royal institutions and political elites working in concert to maintain their grip on power. By harmonizing their approach to dissent, Thailand and Cambodia create a more comprehensive mechanism of controlling political discourse,

Prem Singh Gill, a visiting fellow at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, told VOA in December

I will never give up politics”.

Lim Kimya told AFP at the time in Phnom Penh

Phil Robertsonamerican professional hunter, businessman and reality television personality

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

Based on the request for cooperation and information provided by the Royal Thai Police, the Cambodia's National Police has conducted a thorough search, and at 13:50 on January 8, 2025, the Battambang Provincial Police found and arrested the suspect,

the National Police said in a press release

The suspect will be sent back to Thailand at the request of the Royal Thai Police in accordance with the law after the Cambodia's National Police completes its procedure,

the press release added

Lim Kimya... died at the scene. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Bureau have launched a manhunt for the assassin,

the Bangkok Post reported, adding