Sheet Khmer Times Today, January 21, it was reported that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet made his first statement about the shooting death of Mr. Lim Kimya (73 years old) in the Thai capital Bangkok on January 7. Mr. Kimya is a former parliamentarian of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). The suspect who shot and killed Mr. Kimya was Ekkalak Pheanoi, a former Thai marine.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet speaks at an event in Siem Reap province in November 2024
Some opposition politicians abroad, especially former opposition leader Sam Rainsy, have accused Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen and the Cambodian government of masterminding Mr. Kimya’s murder, according to Khmer Times.
Mr. Hun Manet said that accusation was illogical considering that Cambodian authorities arrested suspect Ekkalak Pheanoi when he fled to Cambodia, then extradited him to Thailand at the request of Thai police.
“I want to ask a question here. Government [Campuchia] is that stupid? If we were the masterminds, why did we extradite the killer to Thailand?”, he said at an event in Cambodia’s Pursat province on January 20.
Cambodia handed over the suspect who shot and killed a former opposition politician to Thailand
“We have extradited the suspect to Thailand for further investigation because we also want to know what is behind this case. Cambodian authorities have been unfairly accused, even before collecting further evidence evidence,” Prime Minister Hun Manet emphasized.
Prime Minister Hun Manet also reaffirmed that Cambodia has no authority to intervene in the above investigation in Thailand. He criticized the opposition abroad for suggesting that the Cambodian government cooperated with the Thai government to orchestrate the investigation in exchange for Cambodia taking a step back on the sovereignty dispute over the island of Koh Kut.
“By bringing the suspect back to Thailand, we have vindicated and guaranteed our innocence,” Mr. Hun Manet emphasized. He also noted that Thai police have stated that the murder of former congressman Kimya stemmed from a personal conflict and therefore had nothing to do with Cambodian politics.
