Tens of 1000’s of Cambodians took to the streets of Phnom Penh on Sunday to participate within the funeral procession of a outstanding political analyst murdered in a brazen daylight shooting that shocked the Southeast Asian nation.
Kem Ley, a well-liked pro-democracy voice and civil rights activist, was shot dead two Sundays ago while drinking coffee outside a gas station within the capital.
The murder sent tremors throughout a rustic already fraught with political tension as Prime Minister Hun Sen faced accusations of suppressing critics of his 31-year rule.
On Sunday, an enormous crowd of mourners, many carrying portraits of Kem Ley, trailed for miles behind Buddhist monks and a automotive convoy carrying the 46-year-old’s body in a transparent coffin.
Thousands of others took to the streets to observe the procession, which ended a two-week period of mourning during which dozens of individuals from across the country got here to the temple in Phnom Penh where his body was laid to rest.
Sunday’s procession was to deliver the activist’s body to his home village, positioned about 70 kilometers south of the capital, for burial.
“He was a mirror of society, a hero. His murder is a huge loss for democracy,” said Hul Chan, 39, as he walked alongside other mourners.
Kem Ley, a well-liked radio commentator, usually criticized Hun Sen and the political opposition. He called for a brand new era of fresh politics in Cambodia – some of the corrupt countries on the earth.
He was also a number one advocate for land and labor rights, traveling throughout the impoverished country to talk on to rural people.
Oueth Ang, a former soldier and Buddhist monk, has been charged with murder and is on trial.
The 43-year-old, who first identified himself under a nickname that translates to “Meet to Kill,” claimed he shot Kem Ley over an unpaid debt.
But doubts about motive persist in a rustic where the rule of law is weak and critics of the elite might be easily silenced.
Shortly before his death, Kem Ley gave a lengthy radio interview welcoming a report detailing the fortunes of Hun Sen and his family.
Human rights groups say Hun Sen’s government has deepened its crackdown on critics and political rivals in recent months because it prepares for 2018 elections, using courts to strengthen opponents.
The prime minister ordered a radical investigation into Kem Ley’s murder and insisted that the case shouldn’t be was a “political act”.
This article appeared within the print edition of the South China Morning Post as: Thousands of individuals join the funeral procession of the murdered activist
