Ex-Royal Thai Navy marine arrested in Cambodia after Bangkok assassination of Cambodian-French MP. Ekkalak Paenoy, accused of gunning down opposition figure Lim Kimya, fled to Cambodia after the murder. Arrested in Battambang, he now faces delayed extradition to Thailand as Cambodia seeks to prosecute him for illegal entry.
A former Royal Thai Navy marine identified as Ekkalak Paenoy was arrested by police in Cambodia on Wednesday. This followed an intensive police manhunt launched on Tuesday after a Cambodian opposition figure was callously gunned down in Bangkok. Dual Cambodian-French citizen Kim Limya was shot three times in the head as he exited a bus in the Thai capital. The 41-year-old, reported by police in Bangkok to be a gun for hire, promptly fled. At length, he made his way to the Cambodian border. After that, he crossed into the neighbouring kingdom before midnight.
In the meantime, the Thai government has called for caution before drawing conclusions. However, leading Cambodian opposition figure and former Finance Minister Sam Rainsy has accused Cambodian strongman Hun Sen of being behind the assassination.
On Thursday, after his arrest, the suspect was reportedly taken to the Cambodian capital for questioning. Later, it was reported that General Kittirat Phanphet had been in contact with the Cambodian police chief. Thailand is seeking his arrest under a warrant issued on Wednesday.
On Wednesday evening, the Thai government urged action and patience as news emerged that the assassin of former Cambodian MP Lim Kimya had been arrested in Cambodia. Government House spokesman Jirayu Huangtra urged the opposition not to be too quick to link the case to politics. He described it as a “sensitive matter” that could impact Thailand’s image.
Assassin identified as ex-Royal Thai Navy marine Ekkalak Paenoy, responsible for callous Bangkok murder
The suspect, identified as the gunman, is 41-year-old Ekkalak Paenoy, also known as Sergeant M.
Undoubtedly, he is the man responsible for the cold-blooded murder. Earlier, the Metropolitan Police Bureau showed surveillance footage of the callous killer nonchalantly carrying out the attack in the Bang Lamphu area of Bangkok as the 74-year-old Cambodian-French national got off a bus.
On Wednesday night, Cambodia suggested that the wanted man may first face prosecution in Cambodia for illegal entry. In Phnom Penh, it is reported that Mr Ekkalak will be interrogated by the country’s internal security services.
Mr. Ekkalak was formerly a petty officer attached to the Royal Thai Navy. In short, he was a marine who appears to have been dismissed from government service in 2023.
Reports circulating in Thailand suggest the assassin, who worked part-time as a motorbike taxi driver, had been eating just before the hit. A local food vendor had prepared him squid with basil, but he had to leave urgently.
Afterwards, on Thursday, the Metropolitan Police Bureau released chilling video footage. It showed the killer riding a red motorbike, nonchalantly parking it on a roadside island near Wat Bowonniwet Vihara, Bangkok, late on Tuesday afternoon.
Chilling video footage shows assassin calmly executing his target in broad daylight before fleeing on motorbike
The slim and composed motorbike rider removes his helmet and carefully crosses the road. He then nonchalantly walks up to his target as he emerges from a bus.
Following three shots, the killer casually walks back towards the road. He then runs across the street but remains composed as he mounts his bike, puts on his helmet, and rides into traffic.
Later, police tracked the suspect by following the serial number of his motorcycle to a petrol station. At 6:21 PM, Ekkalak, disguised in motorcycle taxi gear, was seen riding another motorbike into traffic.
It is understood that he fled Bangkok shortly after.
In the meantime, the Metropolitan Police Bureau Chief, Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom, coordinated a response. He had been ordered to act by National Police Commissioner General Kittirat Phanphet. On Thursday, Government House spokesman Mr. Jirayu stated that an intensive police manhunt had been ordered by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
The operation, named “Hunting Dog,” was launched. It included armed response units, surveillance teams, and an elite ground unit led by Inspector Jae, or Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanpirasit Chulphipho.
Police launch “Hunting Dog” operation, tracking killer’s escape to Cambodia with assistance from accomplices
In the early hours of Thursday morning, word reached Khlong Hat Police Station in Sa Kaeo Province. Police had discovered that the assassin had helpers facilitate his escape into Cambodia.
Officers reviewed CCTV footage and informed Bangkok that a gold-grey pickup truck had passed through the Ban Khao Din border crossing in Khlong Hat District. Sa Kaeo police reported seeing a tall man in a white shirt emerge from the vehicle before walking further into Cambodia.
Following these developments, an arrest warrant was sought and obtained from the Criminal Court on Wednesday, January 8. Arrest warrant No. 84/2568 charges Mr. Ekkalak, or Sergeant M, with premeditated murder.
Furthermore, he is accused of carrying a weapon in a city, village, and public road without just cause, in addition to firing a gun using gunpowder without just cause.
On Thursday, Cambodian police in the northwestern city of Battambang announced the arrest of Mr. Ekkalak. Previously, he was expected to be returned to Thailand to face questioning and legal prosecution. Then came news that he was being taken to Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital.
Arrest warrant issued for Ekkalak as Cambodian police confirm his capture in Battambang on Thursday morning
Meanwhile, motorbike taxi riders and colleagues on Soi Sukhumvit in Bangkok expressed amazement at the revelations. Nonetheless, sources within the Royal Thai Police suggest that Mr. Ekkalak worked as a gunman for hire. Undoubtedly, the stealthy and clinical execution of Mr. Lim Kimya displayed the nerves and aplomb of a skilled professional.
He had only recently joined the taxi ranks and, at one point, ordered lychees from his mother for his colleagues. His family reportedly resides in Rayong, while he lived alone in Khlong Toei, Bangkok.
On Thursday, the Cambodian government vehemently denied any link to the assassination of the former opposition party MP. Phnom Penh government spokesman Pen Bona disparaged “extremists” who spread such stories.
Cambodian government denies links to assassination as opposition points fingers at Hun Sen’s regime
However, a veteran critic of the Cambodian government, Sam Rainsy, thought otherwise. Mr. Rainsy served with Mr. Lim Kimya in the Cambodian parliament following the 2013 election.
Mr. Rainsy did not doubt that the Hun Sen regime, which he described as a dictatorship, was behind the heinous act. He particularly singled out Hun Sen, who is currently the President of Cambodia’s Privy Council, while his son, Hun Manet, has assumed the role of Prime Minister.
Significantly, the Thai government is committed to working with Phnom Penh to further a contentious Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) over overlapping maritime claims. At the same time, the friendship between Hun Sen and Thailand’s Thaksin Shinawatra, the de facto head of the ruling party, is well known.
However, on Thursday, Mr. Rainsy accused the Cambodian regime of orchestrating the assassination.
Rainsy said that Mr. Lim Kimya, like himself, was on a blacklist. He noted that Mr. Lim Kimya also resided in France, where he had obtained refuge as a dual citizen.
Seventy-five-year-old Mr. Rainsy, a former Economics and Finance Minister in Cambodia, is also a member of the now-dissolved Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), disbanded in November 2017. Previously, the party was accused of treason, charges which the opposition described as politically motivated.
Former opposition MPs blacklisted by Cambodian regime as crackdown on political dissent intensifies
Mr. Rainsy stated that he and Mr. Lim Kimya had been working to see the overthrow of the Cambodian dictatorship. He added that he himself had been targeted by assassination attempts on multiple occasions.
Former Cambodian French opposition MP and a thorn in the side of the ruling party gunned down in Bangkok
On Thursday, Bryony Lau, the Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), issued a statement:
“Thai authorities should promptly and thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible. The Cambodian government has intimidated, surveilled, and harassed former CNRP members – including those living in exile in neighbouring Thailand.”
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