Cambodia has yet to receive any request for cooperation from Thailand to investigate the second suspect, a Cambodian, following the assassination of former Cambodian Member of Parliament Lim Kimya, for which Thai national Ekkalak Pheanoim has allegedly confessed to.
However, Pheanoim, an ex-Thai marine officer, fearing for family’s safety after being extradited from Cambodia has refused to disclose the “mastermind” who ordered the attack.
Pheanoim was arrested in Cambodia on January 8 after fleeing Thailand pursuant to the fatal shooting of French-Cambodian citizen Kimya in Bangkok on January 7.
Thai authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the second suspect, who is believed to have acted as a spotter in the murder. But so far, Cambodia has not received any request for cooperation with regards to the Cambodian suspect.
After his arrest, Pheanoim was repatriated to Thailand on January 11 for questioning, during which time, he confessed to the shooting, Bangkok Post reported.
He admitted to accepting 60,000 baht (approximately $1,700) for the “job”, with half the sum paid upfront, which he used to retrieve a pawned handgun. He disclosed that he initially declined the offer but later agreed after repeated contacts via a messaging app by an unnamed individual who gave details of Kimya’s itinerary and an escape plan.
Following the assassination, follow-up messages guided him to a hiding spot in Cambodia.
Cambodian National Police spokesperson Chhay Kim Khoeun told CamboJA News that they have not received any request from Thai authorities regarding the second suspect in Kimya’s case.
He emphasized that investigations would not be initiated in the absence of concrete evidence.
“No one opens an investigation into a matter posted on social media without evidence unless there is a clear tip,” Kim Khoeun said. “We haven’t received any request from them [Thai authorities]. The authorities know how to proceed if there is a request and if the matter has an impact on society.”
Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak declined to comment further, stating that, “for other investigations, it is [up to] the Thai authorities.”
Am Sam Ath, operations director of Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (Licadho), stressed the need for transparency and cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia.
“To eliminate criticism, the Thai side must conduct a transparent investigation to ensure justice. If there’s a connection to individuals who fled to Cambodia, Cambodia must cooperate by investigating all these cases,” he said.
France, along with international organizations such as Human Rights Watch, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, and Amnesty International, strongly condemned Kimya’s assassination. They have called for a prompt, impartial, and transparent investigation to hold those involved accountable.
Kimya’s body is currently in Bangkok, with plans for repatriation to France by his French wife for a funeral. In the meantime, opposition party National Power Party, Cambodian communities and former opposition members of the CNRP in Australia and the United States held a “day-seven” funeral ceremony for Kimya.