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A Thai court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for killing a prominent political dissident from Cambodia in Bangkok.

In January, shortly after the politician arrived in the capital city of Thailand with his spouse, he was fatally shot in public by Thai national the assailant. The perpetrator then fled to the neighboring country, where he was arrested and deported.

Ekkalak had initially been handed the capital punishment, but that was commuted to a life sentence because of his confession to the murder, the judicial body said on Friday.

The reason behind Lim Kimya's killing remains unclear - though it has been broadly believed to be a politically motivated assassination.

Government Context in the Country

Opposition politicians and activists are often jailed and intimidated in Cambodia, where government officials have minimal acceptance for opposition views.

Lim Kimya, who had dual Cambodian and French nationality, was a ex-lawmaker from Cambodia's main opposition party, the CNRP.

The CNRP had nearly succeeded in overthrowing the long-ruling party of former leader Hun Sen in 2013.

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

The current PM of Cambodia the new leader - who took over from his parent the former PM in 2023 - has denied that the government was involved in Lim's killing.

Details of the Legal Proceedings

Surveillance video from the incident month showed Ekkalak stopping his motorcycle, removing his helmet and walking calmly across the street before gunfire was heard.

The offender was also found guilty of possessing and firing a gun, and ordered to pay around $55,000 (40,800 British pounds) to Lim Kimya's family.

The tribunal threw out a charge against a second suspect - a Thai national accused of driving Ekkalak to the border with Cambodia after the incident - on the basis that he was merely a chauffeur who did not have knowledge of the killing.

Reactions and Broader Implications

The legal representative for Lim Kimya's widow told news agency AFP that she was "probably satisfied" with Friday's verdict, though she was "continuing to ask who commissioned the crime".

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

In recent years dozens of activists fleeing crackdowns in Southeast Asian nations have been sent back after seeking sanctuary, or in some cases have been killed or gone missing.

Human rights groups believe there is an tacit understanding among the four neighbouring countries to allow each other's law enforcement to chase dissidents over the border.