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Lim Kimya

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Lim Kimya
លឹម គិមយ៉ា
Member of Parliament of Cambodia
In office
2013–2018
Personal details
Born1951 or 1952
Battambang province, Cambodia
Died (aged 73)
near Wat Bowonniwet Vihara, Bangkok, Thailand
NationalityCambodian
French
Political partyCambodia National Rescue (2012–2017)
Alma materRoyal University of Phnom Penh

Lim Kimya (Khmer: លឹម គិមយ៉ា; 1951 or 1952 – 7 January 2025) was a Cambodian and French politician.[1][2][3] Lim, a member of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was first elected as a member of parliament in 2013 and served until 2018.[1]

Early life and education

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Lim was born in Battambang province, Cambodia, in either 1951 or 1952.[4] He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the Royal University of Phnom Penh.[4] In the early 1970s, as the Vietnam War escalated and engulfed Cambodia, Lim moved to France.[4]

Career

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During his decades in France, Lim built a professional career as a civil servant.[4] He worked for the French Ministry of Economy and Finance from 1982 to 2014.[4]

Political career

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In 2012, Lim returned to Cambodia in the lead-up to the pivotal 2013 general election, becoming a member of the CNRP’s executive committee.[4] He was successfully elected as a Member of Parliament, and served until 2018.[4] This election was a watershed moment in Cambodian politics.[4] The CNRP achieved a "surprisingly good showing," securing 44% of the seats (55 out of 123) in the National Assembly, in contrast to the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which had its "poorest [electoral] performance since 1998."[4]

During his time as a Member of Parliament, Lim established himself as a remarkably vocal and unyielding critic of the Cambodian government, consistently challenging the status quo on issues central to governance, human rights, and national development, with a focus on accountability and transparency.[4] Lim was widely recognized as a "tireless government critic" who steadfastly "refused to be cowed into silence" on sensitive issues such as corruption and human rights.[4] He served as a crucial "dissenting voice in a Cambodia increasingly stifled by political repression and censorship," actively challenging the narrative and policies of the ruling establishment.[4]

In April 2014, he was one of 10 supporters of top CNRP member Mu Sochua, who were beaten by government security forces in Phnom Penh's Freedom Park, a site for protests until the government banned gatherings there.[4][5]

In 2017, the Supreme Court of Cambodia dissolved the CNRP, effectively dismantling the primary opposition.[6] This action occurred strategically just before the 2018 general election, effectively removing the most significant electoral threat to the ruling CPP.[6] As a direct consequence of this dissolution, Lim, along with over 100 other CNRP members, was banned from participating in politics for a period of five years.[6] Despite this, he made the deliberate decision to remain in Cambodia and continue his activism, even as many other prominent CNRP leaders chose to leave the country and seek exile abroad.[6]

Killing

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On 7 January 2025, Lim was killed in Bangkok in a shooting near Wat Bowonniwet Vihara.[7] Both colleagues and Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights Labour Advocates, described the shooting as an assassination.[8][9] Lim had recently arrived in Bangkok by bus from Siem Reap, Cambodia, with his wife and uncle.[7] The gunman was on a motorcycle.

On 8 January 2025, the Thai Criminal Court issued a warrant for Ekaluck Paenoi, the suspected killer.[10][3] After a daylong manhunt led by the Metropolitan Police Bureau, a suspect was arrested in Battambang province in Cambodia by local police.[10][11][12] The suspect is a 41-year-old Thai national who worked as a motorcycle taxi driver and is a former marine.[12][13]

On 9 January 2025, the Thai Criminal Court issued an additional warrant for Pich Kimsrin, a Cambodian national, alleging his involvement in Lim's killing. The Metropolitan Police Bureau stated that he had entered Thailand on the same minibus as Lim and had subsequently left the country following the attack.[14]

On 15 January 2025, the Thai Criminal Court issued another arrest warrant for Somwang Bamrungkit, a Thai and Cambodian dual national known in Battambang, Cambodia as Ly Rotanakraksmey.[15] Somwang is an advisor to Cambodia's former Prime Minister Hun Sen.[15]

Personal life

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Lim was married to Lim Ani, a French citizen.[16] He held dual Cambodian and French dual nationality.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Former Cambodian opposition MP shot dead in Bangkok: Thai media". France 24. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  2. ^ Adair, Stephanie (7 January 2025). "Gunman shoots dead former Cambodian Opposition MP in Bangkok". The Nation. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b Beech, Hannah (8 January 2025). "Former Cambodian Opposition Member Lim Kimya Killed in Bangkok". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Cambodian opposition critic Lim Kimya refused to be silenced". Radio Free Asia. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  5. ^ "Ten Injured in Clash After Cambodian Politician's Defiant Freedom Park Protest". Radio Free Asia. 21 April 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d "Cambodia top court dissolves main opposition CNRP party". 16 November 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Former Cambodian MP shot dead in Bangkok". Bangkok Post. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  8. ^ "Former Cambodian opposition MP shot dead in Bangkok 'assassination'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  9. ^ "Former Cambodian opposition politician shot dead in Bangkok – reports". The Guardian. 8 January 2025. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Cambodian police detain a Thai man suspected of gunning down Cambodian ex-lawmaker in Bangkok". AP News. 8 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  11. ^ "Cambodian-French Political Activist Shot Dead in Bangkok". Khaosod English. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  12. ^ a b Thepgumpanat, Panarat; Wongcha-um, Panu (8 January 2025). "Suspected killer of former Cambodia lawmaker arrested, Thai police say". Reuters. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  13. ^ "Suspected killer of former Cambodian MP arrested". Bangkok Post. 8 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  14. ^ "Court issues warrant for 'spotter' in Cambodian politician's murder". The Nation. 9 January 2025. Archived from the original on 11 January 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  15. ^ a b Wee, Sui-Lee (15 January 2025). "Adviser to Cambodian Leader Is Wanted in Thailand Over Dissident's Killing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  16. ^ "Widow says shooting of former Cambodian lawmaker was 'definitely political'". Radio Free Asia. 17 January 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2025.


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