PHNOM PENH - A prominent critic of Cambodia's government who was a known voice in the country's independent media was shot dead Sunday morning in what police said was a personal dispute over money.
Kem Ley, 45, was killed at a gas station mini-mart complex in Phnom Penh and his attacker was arrested shortly after, said national police spokesman Kirth Chantharith. He said the suspect claimed to have shot t, because he failed to pay him back for a loan.
Hundreds of people gathered at the site of the killing, including the victim's widow and at least one of their four children. They set up makeshift memorials with flowers and refused to let ambulances take away the body, instead carrying it in a procession to a Buddhist temple. Some onlookers said they feared the authorities would try to cremate the body without having a proper investigation, or even without a funeral.
The killing comes at a time of political tension that began last year with legal and other pressures on the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Last week, a massive report by the NGO Global Witness detailed the financial empire of Mr Hun Sen and his 27-member family.
One of Kem Ley's most recent commentaries was about the report by the London-based research and advocacy group Global Witness. It alleged that Mr Hun Sen and his family have enriched themselves and kept power through corruption.
In a Facebook posting, Mr Hun Sen condemned the killing and said he had ordered a thorough investigation.
A huge crowd gathered to accompany the car transporting the body of independent political and social analyst Kem Ley after he was shot dead Sunday at a convenience store in Phnom Penh. (AFP photo)
Video of the police questioning the suspect, posted on the pro-government Fresh News website, shows the man claiming that Kem Ley borrowed $3,000 from him to help poor people, but that he failed to return it. It was not clear whether his assertion was related to Kem Ley's involvement in grass-roots political organizing in rural areas.
The suspect also said that he purchased the pistol he used to kill Kem Ley in Thailand.
Kem Ley was often critical of the government, and was widely known because he was frequently heard on the popular Cambodian-language services of Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, U.S. government-funded services that are among the few independent news sources in Cambodia. He was also frequently quoted in the country's handful of independent newspapers.
"We are calling for a thorough and independent investigation into Ley's murder that will ensure that the real perpetrators are brought to justice, not just the hit men," Global Witness said in a statement. "Cambodia has a long history of political, human rights and labour activists being killed, with murderers rarely brought to justice."
A statement from the Interior Ministry condemned the killing and identified the attacker as Chuob Samlap, 38, one of the many migrant Cambodian farm workers in neighbouring Thailand. It promised a serious investigation to determine whether the attack was part of a conspiracy, and pleaded with the public to refrain from premature speculation on the motive.
Violence has long played a prominent part in Cambodian politics, though it often is carried out in the countryside, where it gets little attention. Activists and members of the political opposition are frequent targets, and attackers are rarely brought to justice.
Kem Ley is the most prominent Cambodian government critic to be killed since trade union leader Chea Vichea in 2004. In 2012, conservation activist Chut Wutty was gunned down by a soldier.
In 1997, a grenade attack on a rally held by opposition leader Sam Rainsy killed at least 16 people and wounded more than 100, with no one brought to trial. Last year, two opposition lawmakers were dragged from their cars and badly beaten by members of a pro-government mob. In both cases, critics charged that members of Hun Sen's personal bodyguard unit were involved in the attacks.
Mr Rainsy is currently in exile to avoid what he asserts is a politically motivated prosecution, and his deputy, Kem Sokha, has been living for weeks at party headquarters trying to avoid what he also says is a specious case against him.
Mr Rainsy's party issued a statement mourning the death of Kem Ley, lauding him as someone who worked to promote Cambodia's economy and democratic system.
Grief, anger and a growing suspicion of government involvement came from the large crowd that quickly gathered after word spread of the murder. (AFP photo)