Lim Kimya (; 1951 or 1952 – 7 January 2025) was a Cambodian and French politician. Lim, a member of the

Cambodia National Rescue Party The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP; , UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ) was a major political party in Cambodia. It was founded in 2012 as a merger between the Sam Rainsy Party and Human Rights Party. The party believed in the strengthening of freedo ...

(CNRP), was first elected as a member of parliament in 2013 and served until 2018.

Early life and education

Lim was born in

Battambang province Battambang (, , ) is a province of Cambodia in the far northwest of the country. Bordering provinces are Banteay Meanchey to the north, Pursat to the east and south, Siem Reap to the northeast, and Pailin to the west. The northern and south ...

, Cambodia, in either 1951 or 1952. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the

Royal University of Phnom Penh The Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP; , ; ) is a national university, national research university of Cambodia, located in the Phnom Penh capital. Established in 1960, it is the country's largest university. It hosts around 30,000 studen ...

. In the early 1970s, as the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

escalated and engulfed Cambodia, Lim moved to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Career

During his decades in France, Lim built a professional career as a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

. He worked for the French Ministry of Economy and Finance from 1982 to 2014.

Political career

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. He was successfully elected as a Member of Parliament, and served until 2018. This election was a watershed moment in Cambodian politics. 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 The Cambodian People's Party (CPP; , UNGEGN: ) is a Cambodian political party which has ruled the country since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP). During the Cold War it allied ...

(CPP), which had its "poorest lectoralperformance since 1998." 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 is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

on issues central to governance, human rights, and national development, with a focus on accountability and transparency. 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. 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. In April 2014, he was one of 10 supporters of top CNRP member

Mu Sochua Mu Sochua (; born 15 May 1954) is a Cambodian politician and rights activist. She was a National Assembly of Cambodia, Member of Parliament (MP) for Battambang from 2013 Cambodian general election, 2013 to 2017, a seat which she previously held fr ...

, who were beaten by government security forces in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

Freedom Park In the Philippines, a freedom park is a centrally located public space where political gatherings, rallies and demonstrations may be held without the need of prior permission from government authorities. Similar to free speech zones in the United ...

, a site for protests until the government banned gatherings there. In 2017, the

Supreme Court of Cambodia The Supreme Court of Cambodia is the highest court in the judiciary of Cambodia, under the supervision of the Supreme Council of the Magistrature. It is located in the royal capital of Phnom Penh, and is regulated under Article 55 to Article 73 ...

dissolved the CNRP, effectively dismantling the primary opposition. This action occurred strategically just before the 2018 general election, effectively removing the most significant electoral threat to the ruling CPP. 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. 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.

Killing

On 7 January 2025, Lim was killed in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

in a shooting near

Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Wat Bowaniwet Wihan Ratchaworawihan (; , ) is a major Buddhist temple (''wat'') in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand. Being the residence of Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana, the late Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, it is the final resting place of ...

. Both colleagues and Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights Labour Advocates, described the shooting as an assassination. Lim had recently arrived in Bangkok by bus from

Siem Reap Siem Reap (, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. Siem Reap possesses French-colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter ...

, Cambodia, with his wife and uncle. The gunman was on a motorcycle. On 8 January 2025, the Thai Criminal Court issued a warrant for Ekaluck Paenoi, the suspected killer. After a daylong manhunt led by the

Metropolitan Police Bureau The Metropolitan Police Bureau () is a unit in the Royal Thai Police, and is responsible for maintaining security in Bangkok - the capital of Thailand. There are a total of 14 divisions (command units) and 2 direct divisions which report directly ...

, a suspect was arrested in

in Cambodia by local police. The suspect is a 41-year-old Thai national who worked as a motorcycle taxi driver and is a former marine. 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. 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. Somwang is an advisor to Cambodia's former Prime Minister

Hun Sen Samdech Hun Sen (; , Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military officer who currently serves as the List of presidents of the Senate (Cambodia), president of the Senate. He previous ...

Personal life

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

References

1950s births Year of birth uncertain 2025 deaths Cambodia National Rescue Party politicians Members of the National Assembly (Cambodia) Deaths by firearm in Thailand Assassinated Cambodian politicians Politicians assassinated in 2025 2025 murders in Thailand People from Battambang province Royal University of Phnom Penh alumni French people of Cambodian descent {{Cambodia-politician-stub