A former member of Cambodia’s opposition party was shot dead in Bangkok on Tuesday evening.
Former Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) politician Lim Kimya died at the scene near Wat Bovoniwet Viharaya Ratchavoravihan, a Buddhist temple near the tourist area of Khao San Road in Phra Nakhon district. bangkok post Report.
Police say a man parked his motorcycle and shot Lim Kimya dead at around 4 pm before fleeing. Authorities say surveillance cameras near the scene showed a man riding a red Honda motorcycle and they are searching for the suspect.
According to the police, the focus is on catching the killer, but questions remain regarding the motive for the murder.
Phil Robertson of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates (AHRLA) told VOA that Tuesday’s killing is an escalation of international repression and appears to be a political assassination.
He said, “The brutal shooting of a former CNRP MP on the streets of Bangkok has all the hallmarks of a political assassination and appears to be a significant escalation in the use of international repression in Bangkok.”
Lim Kimya, 73, also had French citizenship and had reportedly traveled to Bangkok with his wife and uncle in recent days. He was elected as a member of Cambodia’s opposition party in 2013.
Cambodian activists and politicians who oppose the country’s regime have long been targeted at home and abroad. Those who have fled to other countries such as Thailand have been attacked, arrested and deported to Cambodia. Critics have coined the term “transnational repression” to describe this phenomenon.
VOA contacted Thailand’s Foreign Ministry for comment but has not yet received a response.
Cambodia has been ruled by the Cambodia People’s Party for 45 years. Critics say the regime has targeted dissidents, opposition parties and independent media who pose a threat to its rule.
Hun Manet took power in 2022, succeeding his father Hun Sen, who led Cambodia for nearly four decades.
For a short time, the CNRP posed a legitimate challenge to Hun Sen’s regime after it was founded in 2012. But the opposition party was dissolved after five years when a Cambodian court ruled that the party had attempted to overthrow the then-president.
Party members were banned from political activities and its founders fled the country. Kem Sokha, one of the party’s founders, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for treason in 2023.
Robertson said Lim Kimya’s murder would also have an impact on other Cambodians who have fled the country.
“This will have the direct effect of seriously intimidating hundreds of Cambodian political opposition figures, NGO workers and human rights defenders who have already fled to Thailand to escape PM Hun Manet’s political repression campaign in Cambodia,” he said.
In August, He Vannith, brother of He Vann, a CNRP member, was arrested at the Cambodian border.
And in November, Thai authorities deported Pen Chan Sangkrim, Hong An, Mean Chanthon, Yin Chanthau, Soeung Khunthia and Worn Chanaratana back to their homeland for criticizing an economic trade agreement of which Cambodia was part.
Observers and rights groups say Thailand and Cambodia have informal agreements to return political dissidents to each other’s countries if they flee.
“This collaborative approach is not coincidental but strategically designed. Both countries share similar authoritarian impulses, with imperial institutions and political elites working together to maintain their hold on power. “By harmonizing their approach to dissent, Thailand and Cambodia create a more comprehensive mechanism for controlling political discussion,” Prem Singh Gil, a visiting fellow at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, told VOA in December.
According to this, more than 150 individuals have become victims of international repression in Thailand since 2014. A report for 2022 From Freedom House.