Lim Kimya, a former member of Cambodia's National Assembly with the now-exiled opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party(CNRP) has been shot dead in Thailand's capital, Bangkok.

CNRP shared a post on social media, describing the killer as an "assasination."

According to Thai newspaper, 74-year-old Lim was shot dead soon after he arrived in the Thai Capital on a bus from Siem Reap, Cambodia on Tuesday evening with his family.

The CNRP confirmed the passing of Lim in a statement, expressing their shock and sadness by the news of the brutal and inhumane shooting of Lim, who had served as the CNRP's member of parliament for Kampong Thom province.

The former opposition MP who held a dual citizenship-Cambodian and French-had chosen to stay in Cambodia, even as many other former opposition politicians have already fled the country following the immense pressure and tyranny of the governing Cambodian People's Party (CPP) under then-Prime Minister Hun Sen.

CNRP was also not spared; in 2017, the party was forced to dissolve and all its political activities were banned by Cambodia's Supreme Court. Despite the tyranny, the party still exists as an organisation in Cambodian diaspora communities in Australia, the United States and elsewhere.

Elimination of opposition

Chief of Bangkok Police Siam Bonsom reveal that the local authorities have already started their investigation, and they believe that the shooting was carried out by a gunman who was hired to carry out the assasination.

But there are others who have accused the Cambodian government of being the ultimate mastermind behind the killing.

Sam Rainsy, the longtime rival of Former Prime Minister Hun Sen said

"Hun Sen's hand can be seen behind the assasination of Lim Kimya, just as it has been behind the countless political crimes in Cambodia that have always gone unpunished."

But a Cambodian government spokesman told AFP in an interview that the Cambodian government has nothing to do with the assasination. He added that opposition figures often make accusations without providing any concrete evidence and proof of their claims.