Officers from the Battambang Provincial Police Headquarters have located and arrested Thai national Ekkalak Pheanol, who is wanted in connection with the slaying of former Cambodian opposition politician Lim Kimya.  

He was taken into custody in Prey Svay village and commune, in Battambang province’s Moung Russey district.

This arrest followed a request for cooperation by Thai police. Based on information provided by the authorities of the neighbouring Kingdom, the suspect was reportedly apprehended by the Cambodian National Police at 1.50pm on January 8.

“The suspect will be sent back to Thailand as per the request of Thai authorities, in accordance with the law, after Cambodian authorities complete the necessary legal procedures,” said a national police spokesman.

Kimya, born in 1951, was a Cambodian citizen with French nationality. He was shot and killed in Bangkok at 5.45pm on January 7, shortly after arriving in the Thai capital from Cambodia. He travelled via bus, reportedly with his wife, a French national, and a Cambodian relative.

Following the incident, Thai authorities conducted an investigation and identified the suspect, born in 1983, a former Thai marine, who lived in Bangna District, Bangkok.

According to the announcement, after committing the crime, the suspect fled from Bangkok and crossed the Cambodian border.