Phnom Penh Finally Breaks Its Silence After the Spectacular Assassination of Opposition Figure Lim Kimya

In my article in The Geopolitics dated January 17, 2025, titled “The deafening silence of Hun Sen and the Cambodian government following the assassination of opposition figure Lim Kimya in Bangkok (January 7)”, I highlighted the strange attitude of the Cambodian authorities who, ten days after the bloody attack, still had not “condemned the attack, offered condolences to Lim Kimya’s family, or promised cooperation with Thai authorities to resolve the case.”

This has now changed, in a brutal and sudden manner, as if trying to address all questions at once in an equally strange and unceremonious way, as though those involved were hastily trying to dispel a heavy suspicion that has become too troublesome.

The silence was broken on January 20 by Hun Manet, Prime Minister and eldest son of Hun Sen. In a fortuitous mention during a campaign speech in a remote province where nothing prompted any discussion of the tragedy that occurred two weeks earlier, Hun Manet finally offered (orally) his condolences to Lim Kimya’s family and condemned (half-heartedly) the assassination. However, his offhanded mention of the murder and clumsy attempt to absolve his government have left observers even more perplexed. He said: “If we were truly behind this assassination, we would have taken sufficient measures to hide the killers. Instead, we handed over the killer to Thailand at the request of that country’s authorities, which proves that we are not involved in this assassination.”

A somewhat weak argument for exoneration! It is a rather grotesque presentation that initially appears to be a lie by omission.

In reality, the Cambodian authorities had no choice but to hand over the killer, Ekkalak Pheanoi, a Thai national, to the Thai police. This killer was clearly identified by multiple surveillance cameras that tracked his actions from the fatal gesture to his escape and his entry, by land, the same day (January 7) into Cambodia, where he apparently benefitted from numerous accomplices. He was handed over only on January 11 to the Thai police, who had been clamoring for his extradition.

Instead of demonstrating a genuine desire for cooperation, the Cambodian government criticized the Thai police for divulging the identities of other suspects “too quickly,” particularly that of two Cambodian nationals: Pich Kimsrin (the person who, traveling on the same bus as Lim Kimya, pointed him out to the killer when he got off the bus) and Ly Ratanakrasmey (the person who paid the killer in Bangkok). The killer, Ekkalak Pheanoi, admitted to Thai police that Pich Kimsrin and Ly Ratanakrasmey were indeed his accomplices, even though he refused to reveal the name of another, higher-placed individual he considers his “great benefactor.”

Pich Kimsrin and Ly Ratanakrasmey, who openly boasted about their high political connections in Phnom Penh, are now hiding in Cambodia after Thai police had Interpol issue international arrest warrants against them. In his deceitfully conciliatory speech, Hun Manet, of course, did not mention them. There was absolutely no question of arresting the two accomplices and sending them to trial in Bangkok, where they could reveal many embarrassing secrets.

In the same speech, Hun Manet also claimed that the assassination of Lim Kimya “can only have a private and personal motive since the Cambodian government is not involved.” This argument painfully recalls the high-profile assassination of another political opponent, Kem Ley. Kem Ley was shot dead in Phnom Penh in 2016, in broad daylight, by an apparently lone killer acting openly and in a nonchalant manner—the same modus operandi as in Lim Kimya’s case.

Just as with Lim Kimya now, the authorities then attributed a “personal motive” to Kem Ley’s killer, claiming he committed the crime because “Kem Ley owed him money.” This insinuation completely contradicts the testimony of Kem Ley’s family, who stated they had never heard of this killer or suspected his existence.

Returning to Lim Kimya, his French widow, Anne-Marie, declared on January 16 to Radio France Internationale that she knew of no personal enemies her husband had and that Lim Kimya had no personal disputes with anyone.

Hun Manet’s speech on January 20 is evidently a response to my article in The Geopolitics on January 17. While addressing the burning questions everyone is asking about the assassination of Lim Kimya, the response given by Hun Manet—both in substance and form—only deepens the unease among observers regarding the cynicism of Cambodia’s current leadership.

Hun Sen and his family have already gained something in the aftermath of Lim Kimya’s death (which may have been one of their objectives): The assassination of the opposition figure, whose style recalls the long series of political murders that have taken place in Cambodia in recent years, has sent a chilling message to the Cambodian diaspora, making it clear that there are no safe havens for them. Many activists, journalists, and human rights defenders live in exile in countries like Thailand, fearing for their lives.

Notably, Thailand is home to two million Cambodian migrant workers. These workers blame their misery on the Hun Sen regime, accusing it of being corrupt and incapable of providing them with jobs in Cambodia itself. They are largely supportive of the opposition and represent a potential hotbed of unrest that Hun Sen seeks to stifle through fear.

However, no one can guarantee to Hun Sen and his family that dictators, wherever they are, will always prevail and act with impunity.

[Photo: Hean Socheata/VOA Khmer]

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.