Bangkok: Police are hunting for 'Somwang', a benefactor of 'M Kongruea', after the court issued an arrest warrant for hiring someone to kill 'Lim Kimya', a former Cambodian opposition MP.
According to Thai News Agency, investigators at Chana Songkhram Police Station collected evidence to request the court to approve an arrest warrant for Mr. Lee or Somwang, 42, a Cambodian national. He is charged with hiring others to commit the crime of premeditated murder in the case of hiring Mr. Ekkalak, also known as M Kongruea, to shoot and kill Mr. Lim Kimya at the Sip Sam Hang roundabout in Phra Nakhon District, Bangkok on the evening of January 7, 2025.
The investigation revealed two financial transfers of 30,000 baht each linked to Somwang. Evidence from scientific data, financial records, and travel history showed that Somwang had entered and exited Thailand 68 times since 2023. Notably, before the murder on January 3, 2025, at approximately 10:00 a.m., Somwang entered Thailand through the Ban Khlong Luek border crossing in Sa Kaeo Province. He left Thailand on January 5, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. via Thai Airways to Vientiane, Lao PDR, only to return on January 6, 2025, at 10:00 p.m., and departed again on January 8, 2025.
The timeline of Somwang's movements raised suspicions, especially since Lim Kimya entered Thailand on January 7, 2025, with Mr. Kim Rim, a Cambodian informant, on the same bus from Sa Kaeo Province to Bangkok. On the same day, Mr. Ekkalak repaid a gun pawn fee, including interest, totaling 22,000 baht, and spent time waiting to shoot Lim Kimya in Bangkok.
After the assassination, Mr. M escaped on a motorcycle, and Mr. Kim, the informant, purchased a plane ticket back to Phnom Penh. Mr. Somwang exited Thailand the following morning.
Statements from Mr. M, after his arrest at the Cambodia border, implicated Somwang. Cambodian police in Battambang province questioned Mr. M about the incident, leading him to reveal that Somwang was the benefactor who hired him. This information was pivotal in securing an arrest warrant for Somwang, Mr. Ekkalak's benefactor, or Sergeant M.
Currently, police have arrested Mr. M Kongruea, the alleged killer, and Mr. Chakrit, who assisted in his escape. A red notice has been issued for Mr. Kim Rim, the informant, coordinating with Cambodian authorities for his arrest. Meanwhile, Mr. Somwang has fled back to Cambodia, and similar measures are being taken to apprehend him.