Cambodian wanted for contract killing of Cambodian-French MP
Thai police issued an arrest warrant for a Cambodian man in connection with the contract killing of a former Cambodian-French opposition Member of Parliament in Bangkok.
Police arrested the Thai gunman, Ekkaluck “Em” Parenoi, in Cambodia’s Prey Veng province on January 8 and brought him back to Thailand for questioning. Ekkaluck admitted to being hired to kill the former MP, 73 year old Lim Kimya.
Recently, Thai police officers arrested 47 year old Chakit Buaplee in the central province of Chanthaburi for driving Ekkaluck from Thailand to Cambodia. He claimed that he did not know what Ekkaluck had done when he agreed to take him to the border area of the two countries.
Ekkaluck refused to disclose the identity of the person who hired him, referring to this individual only as his “benefactor.” According to Ekkaluck, he was promised 60,000 baht for the job, with 30,000 baht paid to him in advance.
Sam Rainsy, a former leader of the Cambodian opposition party, later took to social media to accuse former army general and current President of the Senate, Hun Sen, of masterminding Lim’s murder. Rainsy also implicated the Cambodian man in Thailand, whom Ekkaluck referred to as his supporter.
Police investigations into Ekkaluck’s mobile phone revealed conversations with the Cambodian man, Ly Ratanakraksmey, who also has a Thai alias, Somwang Bamrungkij.
Ly operates a business dealing with the importation of labour in Thailand and Malaysia. He reportedly has close connections with Thai officials, including those in the police force and the Ministry of Labour. Efforts by PPTV HD to contact Ly for an interview were unsuccessful, as all his communication channels were inactive.
Officers from Chana Songkhram Police Station gathered sufficient evidence to implicate Ly in Lim’s assassination. Subsequently, an arrest warrant was issued against him for violating several laws, including:
- Section 84 of the Criminal Law: causing another person to commit an offence through employment, compulsion, threat, hire, favour, or instigation. The punishment is equivalent to that of the person who committed the crime. If convicted, Ly faces the death penalty, as would Ekkaluck according to Section 289 of the Criminal Law: murder committed with premeditation.
- Section 376 of the Criminal Law: firing a gun in a public place without reasonable cause. Penalties include imprisonment for up to 10 days, a fine of up to 5,000 baht, or both.
- Section 8 of the Act on Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearms: carrying a firearm in a public place without proper permission or necessity. Penalties include imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.
Police are also pursuing another suspect in the assassination, Kimsrin Pich, who remains at large. According to reports from Matichon, Kimsrin is the younger brother of Sros Pich, a politician aligned with the Cambodian government, and also works as a pro-government news reporter.
UPDATE 1: Thai police arrest gunman for Cambodian-French politician murder
Thai police last night arrested the gunman responsible for the assassination of a former Cambodian-French opposition Member of Parliament in Cambodia‘s Phra Tabon Province. Another suspect, a Cambodian, who is believed to have stalked the victim from Cambodia to Bangkok, remains at large.
The 73 year old Cambodian-French politician, Lim Kimya, arrived in Bangkok by a coach bus from Cambodia shortly before the Thai gunman, Ekkaluck “Em” Paenoi, fatally shot him on a traffic island near the Bowonniwet Vihara Temple.
Ekkaluck, a former soldier in the Royal Thai Marine Corps (RTMC), was captured on CCTV fleeing the scene on a red Honda Wave 100i motorcycle. He had been dismissed from the RTMC in 2023 after failing to report for duty for 15 days without a valid reason.
In addition to identifying the gunman, Thai officers also identified another suspect linked to the assassination. This suspect, a Cambodian man named Kimsrin Pich, reportedly stalked Lim, along with his French wife and Cambodian uncle, after they boarded the coach in Cambodia.
According to Thai PBS, Kimsrin was seen on CCTV wearing a white T-shirt, cap, and backpack at the shooting scene. He later travelled back to Cambodia on a Sky Angkor Airlines flight at approximately 9.05pm on the day of the incident.
As Lim was an outspoken critic of the Cambodian government, his assassination is suspected to be politically motivated. The Guardian reported that Pen Bona, a spokesperson for the Cambodian government, denied any involvement in a press conference yesterday, January 8.
“Cambodia is responsible only for what happens on its territory, not for what happens in other countries. Whatever happens on Thai territory is the responsibility of the Thai government.”
Thai police tracked Ekkaluck to Cambodia, where he was eventually arrested in Phra Tabon Province. However, another suspect, Cambodian Kimsrin, remains at large.
At present, Thai authorities are in the process of transferring Ekkaluck from Cambodia to Thailand for further questioning.
ORIGINAL STORY: Cambodian-French ex-MP assassinated in Bangkok, Thai gunman at large
A former Cambodian-French opposition Member of Parliament was assassinated in Bangkok yesterday, January 7. The gunman, identified as a former soldier in the Royal Thai Marine Corps (RTMC), remains at large.
Officers from Chana Songkhram Police Station were alerted to a shooting on a traffic island opposite the popular tourist attraction Bowonniwet Vihara Temple in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district at around 6pm.
Upon arrival, officers found the prostrate 73 year old Cambodian-Frenchman, Lim Kimya with two gunshot wounds to his chest and right shoulder. Rescue workers attempted to administer CPR at the scene but were unable to save him.
CCTV footage revealed that the gunman parked his motorcycle, dismounted, and shot Lim twice before fleeing the scene on his motorbike. The suspect was wearing a grey T-shirt, jeans, and a motorcycle helmet. His vehicle was reported to be a red Honda Wave 100i with the registration plate 845.
Lim reportedly arrived in Bangkok by bus from Siem Reap, Cambodia, with his French wife and Cambodian uncle shortly before the attack.
Lim was a prominent member of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which opposed Hun Sen, a former army general and current President of the Senate.
The CNRP was dissolved after opposing the government, and over 100 of its members were banned from holding political positions for five years. Many members went into exile, while others, including Lim, chose to remain in Cambodia quietly for safety reasons.
Despite holding French nationality and being able to travel to France for safety, Lim opted to stay. He vowed in an interview with AFP that he would never abandon his political journey.
Lim’s wife was taken to the police station for questioning. The motive for the assassination remains under investigation. However, police have identified the gunman as a Thai man named Ekkaluck Paenoi, a former RTMC officer.
Ekkaluck faces charges of premeditated murder and carrying a weapon in public without permission. If convicted, he could face a life sentence.
Ekkaluck is still at large, and the statute of limitations for this case is 20 years.
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