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Thai police said today an arrest warrant has been issued for a man suspected of fatally shooting a former Cambodian opposition politician in a popular tourist area of Bangkok.

Lim Kimya, a former lawmaker for the now-defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party, was shot dead near a temple off Khaosan Road on Tuesday night.

According to the human rights organization Human Rights Watch, Lim Kimya had just arrived at the location with his wife by bus from Cambodia.

Bangkok police chief Siam Boonsom told reporters today that according to an initial investigation, the gunman was hired to kill Lim Kimya, who has been identified by another person who police are also searching for.

Thai media noted that the suspected shooter may be a former Thai marine.

Siam declined to confirm this information, but said the suspect had a criminal record related to financial matters.

The Cambodia National Rescue Party said in a statement that it was “deeply shocked and appalled by the brutal and inhumane killing” and called on Thai authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.

This movement was the main rival to former Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party in the 2018 general election.

But as part of a broad crackdown on the opposition ahead of the elections, Cambodia’s top court dissolved the party, allowing the ruling movement to subsequently win all seats in the National Assembly.

Lim Kimya recently posted messages on the social network Facebook accusing the Government of spending state money unnecessarily on events that did not benefit the population.

Under Hun Sen, who held power for nearly four decades, Cambodia was widely accused of human rights abuses that included suppression of freedom of expression and association.

Hun Sen was succeeded in August 2023 by his US-educated son, Hun Manet, but there has been little sign of political liberalization.

Lim Kimya died on the same day that Hun Sen, currently the head of Cambodia’s Senate, called for the passage of a law that would label certain actions by dissidents as terrorism.