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| Mourners line up at a funeral ceremony for Kem Ley in Phnom Penh |
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| Kem Ley was an outspoken critic of the government and was respected by young people. |
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| Mourners at the funeral of Kem Ley. |
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| Bystanders take photos of the car carrying the body of political analyst Kem Ley. |
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Cambodia’s prime minister has promised a “vigorous investigation” into the shooting of a prominent critic and called for the opposition not to politicise the assassination.
Kem Ley, a 46-year-old grassroots campaigner, was shot three times at a petrol station in Phnom Penh on Sunday while drinking his morning coffee. His attacker, arrested by police shortly afterwards, was filmed confessing and said the high-profile activist had failed to repay a US$3,000 (£2,322) loan.
Speaking at the inauguration of a new military police headquarters, Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for three decades, condemned the killing and offered his condolences to Kem Ley’s family.
“I have ordered the competent authority to conduct a vigorous investigation into the attacker and the conspirators to face justice,” he said. “Hopefully, our people will give the authorities time to perform their duties by not turning this tragedy into something politically motivated.”
Shortly after the killing, Hun Sen said on his Facebook page that it was a “savage act”.
Cambodia’s opposition said the shooting was a conspiracy to silence Kem Ley, who has spoken out against government corruption.
Large crowds gathered at the petrol station on Sunday to accompany his body, covered by the Cambodian flag, through the streets of Phnom Penh, the capital.
Hundreds more attended a temple service on Monday, where Buddhist monks led the crowd, many wearing black and white.
Son Soubert, a prominent member of the main opposition group, the Cambodia National Rescue party, went on Monday morning to pay his respects to Kem Ley, whose body will remain at the temple for 10 days.
“If the author of the assassination meant to intimidate … especially young people, I think they are in the wrong,” he said. “Instead, they arose a lot of anger and indignation.
“They are trying to silence and give fear to the people, but Kem Ley will become a symbol of the aspirations of the people.
“Kem Ley was one who really spoke the language of the people and in that way, he became popular because of that.”
Cambodian society “longs for democracy and human rights that are stipulated in our constitution,” Soubert added.
His death comes at a time of political uncertainty, with the leader of the opposition, Sam Rainsy, in self-imposed exile and facing defamation charges.
Public killings of Hun Sen’s critics occurred regularly during the first 15 years of his rule but numbers have since fallen.
However, younger voters, frustrated with corruption, threaten his grip on power. The Cambodia National Rescue party was close to winning the 2013 election.
The country, a parliamentary system since 1993, will hold national elections in 2018. Opponents of Hun Sen say the former Khmer Rouge commander has used violence and intimidation to cling on.
Noan Sereiboth, a Cambodian political observer and podcaster, said Kem Ley was respected among young people because he was a straight talker who “wanted what he thought was right for the people,” even if “he knew he could be killed some day”.
“People are disappointed in the government and will want to find justice for him. People were angry before with what the government was doing and now, before the next election, the opposition have more of a chance because of this.”
Kem Ley often spoke on the popular Cambodian-language service Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, two independent news sources in a country whose main media companies are run by Hun Sen’s family.
As a founder of the Grassroots Democracy party, Kem Ley had promised to help farmers and bring in leaders with links to the youth. His party planned to field candidates for next year’s local elections.
The US, which funds Voice of America, said it was “deeply saddened and concerned”.
“We are following developments in this case closely, noting the Cambodian government’s call for an investigation,” the US State Department spokesman, John Kirby, said in a statement, calling on Cambodian authorities to make sure the investigation would be “thorough and impartial”.
Kem Ley commented last week on a report by the UK-based transparency watchdog Global Witness, which detailed how Hun Sen’s family have a “stranglehold” on huge sectors of the Cambodian economy. He said the revelations benefited voters.
Hours after the killing on Sunday, the interior ministry named the attacker as Chuob Samlap, 38, a Cambodian farmer who worked in neighbouring Thailand. His name translates as “meet to kill”, which further antagonised mourners who said the shooting was a political act.
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