Politics
Cambodian ex-MP’s killer jailed for life in Thailand
A Thai gunman was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the murder of a Cambodian opposition politician in Bangkok, with the former lawmaker’s widow left questioning who ordered the killing.
French national Lim Kimya, a former opposition parliamentarian in Cambodia, was shot dead on January 7 by Ekkalak Paenoi as the ex-MP arrived in the Thai capital with his wife.
Cambodian opposition figures have accused the country’s powerful former leader, Hun Sen, of ordering the shooting, and Lim Kimya’s widow called this week for a full accounting of who was behind it.
Ekkalak faced a potential death sentence in Thailand for premeditated murder, but a judge said Friday that the Bangkok court reduced his sentence to life imprisonment since he confessed.
The Thai man was arrested in neighbouring Cambodia a day after the shooting and admitted to murdering a livestream video.
The trial began just three days ago with an examination of witnesses, including Lim Kimya’s widow, Anne-Marie Lim.
“Anne-Marie is probably satisfied with today’s verdict, but she is still questioning who ordered the crime,” her lawyer Nadhthasiri Bergman told reporters outside the court on Friday.
“She wants authorities to get to the bottom of it.”
Lim, who is also French, attended the opening of the trial on Tuesday, telling AFP that she wanted to know the “reason for this crime and who ordered it.”
– ‘Full justice’ –
Bergman said Friday that they knew there were additional suspects in Cambodia, and the Thai government “could help push the extradition process to bring them to justice”.
The judge did not offer details about the killer’s motive or a possible mastermind behind the murder.
Thai police said in January that they were also seeking to arrest a Cambodian national believed to be behind the killing.
They identified two Cambodian suspects: Ly Ratanakrasksmey, accused of having recruited the gunman, and Pich Kimsrin, the alleged lookout who local media has reported was on the bus alongside the victim and his wife.
Chairman, Policy Manifesto Committee of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, John Odigie-Oyegun, says former president Muhammadu Buhari gave him the shock of his life, six months into his administration as Nigeria’s leader.
Oyegun made this disclosure on Friday when he featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’.
He revealed that as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, he went to tell Buhari that he was not delivering his election promises to Nigerians but that the late president told him he would not rule with strictness, but rather wanted to show Nigerians that he is a true civilian president.
The former APC National Chairman lamented that it became business as usual, from there.
“I was national chairman of the APC. Six months or less into our assuming office, fairly alarmed, I went to the late President Buhari for a one-on-one talk. I said Mr President, this is not what the people were expecting. They wanted a bit of the old president Buhari.
“And he explained to me, Mr Chairman, I have learned my lesson. I was shocked. And don’t forget at that time, a lot of prominent Nigerians took their holidays abroad, just to be sure and see what this new sheriff in town will be.
“Buhari told me he wants to now show the people that he’s a true civilian president in Agbada. And by the time we finished the conversation, I said Oh God, we are finished. Because, if he’s not ready to be strict, what’s the point?
“Weeks later, months later, years later, I was proven correct. And of course, it became business as usual, only that they are a new set of tenants in Aso Rock. That was a shocker,” he said.
Former lawmaker, Dino Melaye Esq, has raised concerns over the Senate’s reported rejection of the electronic transmission of election results.
The move, according to Melaye, is a clear endorsement of election rigging and an indication of a sinister plan to rig the 2027 elections.
In a statement on Friday, the former lawmaker criticized the Senate’s decision, stating that it undermines the credibility of the electoral process.
The African Democratic Congress, ADC chieftain, also stated that the move opens the door for electoral manipulation and fraud.
He further warned that the rejection of electronic transmission of results is a step backwards for democracy in Nigeria.
Melaye called on lawmakers and citizens to stand up against “this blatant attempt to undermine the will of the people and ensure that future elections are free, fair, and transparent”.
Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has said Nigerians have every reason to be mad at the Senate over the ongoing debate on e-transmission of election results.
Ezekwesili made this known on Friday when she featured in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’ monitored by DAILY POST.
DAILY POST reports that the Senate on Wednesday turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the Electoral Amendment Bill that aimed to compel the electronic transmission of election results.
Reacting to the matter, Ezekwesili said, “The fundamental issue with the review of the Electoral Act is that the Senate retained the INEC 2022 Act, Section 60 Sub 5.
“This section became infamous for the loophole it provided INEC, causing Nigerians to lose trust. Since the law established that it wasn’t mandatory for INEC to transmit electoral results in real-time, there wasn’t much anyone could say.
“Citizens embraced the opportunity to reform the INEC Act, aiming to address ambiguity and discretionary opportunities for INEC. Yet, the Senate handled it with a “let sleeping dogs lie” approach. The citizens have every reason to be as outraged as they currently are.”
How Buhari shocked me 6 months into his administration – Oyegun
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