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A court in Thailand has handed down a sentence to a man to life imprisonment for murdering a well-known political dissident from Cambodia in the Thai capital.

In January, shortly after Lim Kimya arrived in the capital city of Thailand with his wife, he was fatally shot in public by Thai national the assailant. The perpetrator then escaped to Cambodia, where he was apprehended and deported.

Ekkalak had initially been handed the death penalty, but that was reduced to life imprisonment due to his confession to the murder, the judicial body said on Friday.

The motive for Lim Kimya's killing is still unknown - though it has been widely suspected to be a politically motivated assassination.

Political Background in Cambodia

Dissident figures and activists are often imprisoned and harassed in Cambodia, where authorities have little tolerance for political dissent.

The deceased, who had dual Cambodian and French nationality, was a ex-lawmaker from Cambodia's main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

This political party had come close to overthrowing the incumbent government of ex-leader Hun Sen in the year 2013.

After the former leader accused the opposition party of betrayal, the party was banned in 2017 and its supporters were prohibited from taking part in political engagements.

The current PM of Cambodia Hun Manet - who succeeded his father the former PM in 2023 - has rejected claims that the administration was involved in Lim's killing.

Details of the Case

Surveillance video from the incident month showed Ekkalak stopping his motorcycle, taking off his headgear and walking calmly across the street before shots rang out.

Ekkalak was also found guilty of carrying and using a gun, and instructed to pay around 55,000 US dollars (40,800 British pounds) to the victim's relatives.

The court dismissed a charge against another defendant - a Thai citizen charged with driving Ekkalak to the border with Cambodia after the shooting - on the basis that he was merely a chauffeur who did not know about the murder.

Responses and Wider Consequences

The lawyer for the widow of the victim told news agency the press that she was "likely content" with Friday's verdict, though she was "still questioning who commissioned the offense".

"She wants authorities to get to the bottom of it."

In recent years many protesters fleeing repression in Southeast Asian nations have been sent back after seeking sanctuary, or in some cases have been killed or gone missing.

Advocacy organizations think there is an tacit understanding among the four adjacent nations to permit each other's law enforcement to pursue opponents over the border.