Thai police have issued an arrest warrant for a Cambodian national suspected of orchestrating the murder of a former Cambodian opposition lawmaker in Bangkok. The shocking incident has raised serious questions and drawn attention to connections between the suspects and high-ranking Cambodian officials.
Maj. Gen. Atthaporn Wongsiripreeda, who heads Metropolitan Police Division 1, revealed to reporters that Ly Ratanakraksmey, a 43-year-old Cambodian, is believed to have hired the gunman responsible for killing 73-year-old Lim Kimya. Kimya, once a member of parliament for the now-banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was shot dead on January 7, shortly after arriving in Bangkok.
The suspected gunman, Ekkalak Pheanoi, a former Thai marine, was caught the next day in Cambodia’s Battambang province. Thai authorities worked swiftly to extradite him back to Thailand on January 11. Ekkalak admitted to carrying out the murder but initially hesitated to disclose who had hired him. Eventually, he claimed that Ly, known in Pattaya by the Thai name Somwang, had asked him to “handle” Kimya out of personal revenge.
Ekkalak also mentioned that he was hired in Thailand and had no idea about Kimya’s background. Investigators discovered that Ly had visited Thailand over 100 times in recent years and had supported Ekkalak financially after he was expelled from the navy due to disciplinary issues. Police sources revealed that Ekkalak was paid 60,000 baht, roughly $1,736, for the assassination. Atthaporn explained that Ekkalak accepted the job to repay Ly, who had helped him during tough times.
Thai authorities have also issued an arrest warrant for another Cambodian, Pich Kimsrin, suspected of being a “spotter” who helped Ekkalak track the victim. To widen the search, Interpol red notices have been issued for both Ly and Pich.
The case has eerie similarities to the 2016 killing of Cambodian political activist Kem Ley. In that instance, the gunman, also a former soldier, claimed the murder stemmed from a personal dispute. However, many believe the actual masterminds behind both assassinations remain in the shadows.
There’s growing speculation that these murders could be politically motivated. Both Ly and Pich have ties to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), adding fuel to claims by opposition figures that the killings may have been ordered by top Cambodian leaders. Cambodian government officials, however, have denied any involvement.
Digging deeper, media reports uncovered intriguing details about Ly. He once headed the CNRP’s Thailand Workers’ Working Group, which sought to rally support among Cambodian workers in Thailand. However, Ly defected to the CPP in 2022, years after the CNRP was dissolved in 2017 following a legal complaint by Pich Kimsrin’s brother, Pich Sros, who leads the CPP-aligned Cambodian Youth Party. Interestingly, Ly is reportedly an adviser to former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who handed power to his son Hun Manet in 2023.
As the investigation unfolds, questions remain about who truly ordered the killing and whether justice will be served in this high-stakes case with international implications.
