Assassination suspected as ex-Cambodian opposition MP shot dead in Bangkok

A former Cambodian opposition MP and French citizen was shot dead by a gunman on a motorcycle in Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai media reported.

“Lim Kimya … died at the scene. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Bureau have launched a manhunt for the assassin,” the Bangkok Post reported, adding that the deceased was a dual Cambodian-French national.

Thai police confirmed the death of a Cambodian man without identifying him as Lim Kimya, saying “we are currently investigating the motives and will provide more information at a later time”.

Multiple Thai media outlets reported that a gunman on a motorcycle opened fire on Lim Kimya as he arrived in the Thai capital from the Cambodian city of Siem Reap by bus, accompanied by his French wife and a Cambodian uncle.

A photojournalist saw blood at the scene near the popular Khao San Road area of Bangkok.

“This brazen shooting of a former CNRP MP on the streets of Bangkok has all the hallmarks of a political assassination, and looks to be a significant escalation in the use of transnational repression,” said Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates.