Lim Kimya, 73, remembered for his commitment to politics even after many opposition members fled into exile.
PUBLISHED: 7 Jan 2025 at 21:47
A former Cambodian opposition member of parliament was tragically shot dead by a motorcyclist in Bangkok near Wat Bowonniwet Vihara on Tuesday evening.
Lim Kimya, aged 73, succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The Metropolitan Police Bureau has initiated a manhunt for the unidentified shooter.
Authorities stated that surveillance footage captured a suspect on a red Honda Wave 100 motorcycle, license plate number 845, dressed in a helmet, long jeans, and a grey short-sleeved shirt, with a bag suspected to contain a firearm.
Lim, who held both Cambodian and French citizenship, had recently traveled to Bangkok by bus from Siem Reap, Cambodia, accompanied by his French wife and Cambodian uncle.
The shooting occurred shortly after their arrival, as the assailant approached on a motorcycle, parked, and fired before fleeing along Phra Sumen Road.
Lim Kimya was an active member of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, the principal opposition party in Cambodia prior to its dissolution by the Supreme Court in November 2017.
Despite possessing a French passport that could have facilitated his relocation, Lim remained in Cambodia, holding steadfast to his political beliefs while many of his party peers sought asylum abroad to escape persecution from the former regime led by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
“I will never give up politics,” he expressed in a past interview.
