Ekkalak Paenoi, known as Sergeant M, the suspect in the shooting of Mr. Lim Kimya, a 74-year-old Cambodian political activist and former opposition MP in Bangkok, was arrested in Cambodia on Jan. 8, 2025.
BANGKOK — Thai police, in cooperation with Cambodian authorities, have arrested the main suspect in the assassination of Mr. Lim Kimya, a 74-year-old Cambodian political activist and former opposition MP. The suspect was apprehended in Cambodia on January 8, just one day after the killing in Bangkok’s historic district.
Ekkalak Paenoi, known as Sergeant M, is accused of shooting Mr. Lim on the evening of January 7 at a road median opposite Wat Bowonniwet Vihara in Phra Nakhon district. The assassination was carried out with three shots.
The suspect’s background reveals a troubled history in the Thai Navy, where he had been disciplined with detention twice, in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, he was dismissed from service after being charged with absence without leave.
Investigators identified Sergeant M as the suspected contract killer on January 8. Prior to the incident, he had been working as a motorcycle taxi driver and running errands for local vendors. Local community members expressed shock at his involvement, saying they had perceived him as harmless during his routine work and were unaware of his background.
Following the assassination, he escaped to Cambodia through Sa Kaeo province. CCTV footage captured him at the Khao Din Permanent Border Crossing Point in Khlong Hat district at 23:41 on January 7, showing a tall man in a white shirt leaving a pickup truck.
Investigators found that Sergeant M exchanged 4,000 baht at a border currency exchange shop before boarding a bus heading toward central Cambodia. Authorities tracked him until he stopped for a meal in Prey Svay commune, Moung Ruessei district, Battambang province, at 4:30 PM on January 8.
Cambodian police and Thai Metropolitan Police investigators then took the suspect to Battambang Provincial Police Command before transferring him to the Internal Security Command Headquarters in Phnom Penh for further investigation.
Police Lt. Gen. Siam Boonsom, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and forensic investigators examine an abandoned motorcycle connected to a high-profile murder case on Jan. 8, 2025.Police have identified a second suspect – a heavyset Cambodian man who arrived in Bangkok on the same bus as Mr. Lim Kimya. This suspect fled back to Cambodia immediately after the incident on Tuesday night, Jan.7, 2025.
Meanwhile, Thai police have also identified a second suspect – a heavyset Cambodian man who arrived in Bangkok on the same bus as Mr. Lim Kimya. This suspect fled back to Cambodia immediately after the incident on Tuesday night.
Police Lt. Gen. Siam Boonsom, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, along with Police Maj. Gen. Commander of the Metropolitan Police Investigation Division and forensic investigators, examined evidence including an abandoned motorcycle found at a PT gas station in the Suan Luang district, along with some personal items.
According to Police Lt. Gen. Siam, investigators have gathered testimony from multiple witnesses, including the victim’s wife. While the motive’s potential connection to Cambodian internal politics cannot be disclosed, authorities have confirmed the perpetrators worked as a team. The investigation continues as police work to apprehend all suspects involved in the case.
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, people stand amidst damaged houses in the aftermath of an earthquake in Tonglai Village, Changsuo Township of Dingri in Xigaze, southwestern China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Xinhua via AP)
BEIJING (AP) — Rescue workers in the freezing, high-altitude Tibet region in western China searched Wednesday for more survivors and victims of a strong earthquake that struck a day earlier near a holy city for Tibetan Buddhists, killing at least 126 people and leveling thousands of houses.
Tents, quilts and other relief items were being delivered to people whose homes were uninhabitable or unsafe. Temperatures fell well below freezing overnight in an area with an average altitude of about 4,200 meters (13,800 feet).
The confirmed death toll stood at 126 with another 188 injured as of Tuesday evening. The earthquake struck the city of Xigaze, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism. It was not immediately known whether he was in his Tashi Lhunpo Monastery at the time of the quake or how much damage the city sustained. The quake’s distance from Xigaze, which sprawls across a high altitude plain, was about 25 kilometers (15 miles).
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, first responders perform rescue work at a village in Changsuo Township of Dingri County in Xigaze, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 7, 2025 (Hu Zikui/Xinhua via AP)
Video on CCTV showed orange-suited rescue workers climbing piles of debris blocking homes in a heavily damaged village, while chunks that had been knocked off buildings littered streets and crushed cars in other areas.
More than 3,600 houses collapsed, according to a preliminary survey, and 30,000 residents have been relocated, Xinhua said, citing the city government in Xi, also known by its Tibetan spelling, Shigatse.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 7.1 and was relatively shallow at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles). China recorded the magnitude as 6.8.
The epicenter was about 75 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Mount Everest, which straddles the China-Nepal border. The area is seismically active and is where the India and Eurasia plates clash and cause uplifts in the Himalayan mountains strong enough to change the heights of some of the world’s tallest peaks.
More than 500 aftershocks were recorded after the earthquake, which the U.S. Geological Survey said measured magnitude 7.1. China’s earthquake center recorded a magnitude of 6.8.
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers conduct search and rescue for survivors in the aftermath of an earthquake in Changsuo Township of Dingri in Xigaze, southwestern China’s Tibet Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Jigme Dorje/Xinhua via AP)
The quake was also about 75 kilometers (50 miles) from Mount Everest and the border with Nepal, where the shaking sent people running out of their homes in the capital.
The dead included at least 22 of the 222 residents of Gurum, the official Xinhua News Agency cited the village’s Communist Party chief, Tsering Phuntsog, as saying. The victims included his 74-year-old mother, and several other of his relatives remained buried in the debris.
“Even young people couldn’t run out of the houses when the earthquake hit, let alone old people and children,” Tsering Phuntsog said.
The Ministry of Emergency Management has 1,850 rescuers on the ground along with firefighters and others, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered “all-out rescue efforts to save lives and minimize casualties,” Xinhua reported. Communications in the area have also been restored, allowing smoother delivery of emergency goods, it said. Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, was dispatched to the area to guide the work.
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescue workers search for survivors in the aftermath of an earthquake in Changsuo Township of Dingri in Xigaze, southwestern China’s Tibet Autonomous Region on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Xinhua via AP)
CCTV said there are a handful of communities within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of the epicenter, which was 380 kilometers (240 miles) from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and about 23 kilometers (14 miles) from the region’s second-largest city of Shigatse, known as Xigaze in Chinese.
The average altitude in the area around the epicenter is about 4,200 meters (13,800 feet), the China Earthquake Networks Center said in a social media post.
The Chinese government and followers of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s highest figure, have feuded over who should hold the position of Panchen Lama since a boy appointed by the Dalai Lama disappeared in the mid-1990s and a Chinese-backed candidate was approved for the position. The Dalai Lama, viewed by the Chinese government as a dangerous separatist, denounced the move and has refused to recognize the current Panchen Lama.
China’s government says Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, but many Tibetans say they were functionally independent for most of that time. China’s People’s Liberation Army invaded the territory in 1950 and the Dalai Lama fled to India nine years later during an uprising against Chinese rule, seen as eroding Tibet’s unique Buddhist culture.
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers transfer the injured at Zhacun Village of Dingri County in Xigaze, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, Tuesday Jan. 7, 2025. (Xinhua via AP)
Tibet is generally closed to foreign journalists over reports about the ill treatment of the native population by Chinese authorities.
A candlelight vigil was planned in Dharamsala, India, home of the Dalai Lama and a large Tibetan population, on Wednesday night, and an announcement on the Dalai Lama’s website said he would lead a prayer ceremony in memory of the victims on Thursday.
Asked about the prayer ceremony, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, “We are very clear about the separatist nature and political schemes of the Dalai Lama and remain highly vigilant.”
Guo expressed confidence that the people in the earthquake zone would be able to rebuild under “the strong leadership” of the Communist Party.
In Nepal, authorities asked officials in the mountainous area near the epicenter to search for any casualties or damage.
The National Emergency Operation Center in Kathmandu said people in northeastern Nepal strongly felt the earthquake but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to houses.
A police officer in Solukhumbu district, where Mount Everest is located, said by telephone that there were no reports of damage. The area, often crowded with climbers and hikers, was empty in the depth of winter. Many residents move to the south to avoid the harsh winter.
About 230 kilometers (140 miles) from the epicenter in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, the earthquake woke up residents and sent them running out of their homes into the streets.
There have been 10 earthquakes of at least magnitude 6 in the area where Tuesday’s quake hit over the past century, the USGS said.
Mr. Weidong, a Chinese father, submits a formal request at the Royal Thai Police headquarters on January 8, 2025, seeking help to find his daughter who lost contact with her family after traveling to Thailand on January 6.
BANGKOK — Chinese actor Wang Xing (Xingxing), who Thai police rescued from Myanmar, has been confirmed as a victim of human trafficking and will be repatriated within days. As this high-profile case concludes, another Chinese family has come forward with fears of a similar scam targeting their daughter.
Mr. W. Weidong, father of 21-year-old W. Jiaqi, submitted a formal request for help to national police chief Pol. Gen. Kittirat Phanpet at the Royal Thai Police headquarters on January 8. His daughter lost contact with her family on January 6, 2025, shortly after arriving in Thailand. Fearing she may have fallen victim to traffickers like Wang Xing, Mr. Weidong had already filed complaints with both Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station and Tourist Police.
Ms. Jiaqi, a recent college graduate, was making her first trip abroad. She traveled with a Chinese friend she had known for less than a month through social media – someone her family has never met and has no contact information for. The circumstances of her travel were already concerning – she hadn’t informed her parents of her plans beforehand.
The timeline of her disappearance has raised serious concerns. After landing in Thailand around 4:00 am, she contacted her mother via WeChat, sharing her location and plans to stay in the Don Mueang area. When her mother warned about travel to Burma (Myanmar), Ms. Jiaqi responded, “I’m not stupid,” and assured her, “I wouldn’t dare to go to Burma.” She continued communicating throughout the morning, but contact abruptly ceased at 4:00 pm. After 24 hours of silence, her father flew to Thailand.
Combination photo shows Ms. Wu Jiaqi’s last WeChat messages to her mother (left) and her photo (right)
Investigation of CCTV footage has revealed that a white Toyota Alphard picked up Ms. Jiaqi at Suvarnabhumi Airport and transported her to a hotel – not in Don Mueang as she had told her mother, but in the Lat Krabang area. Hotel records show she checked in at 5:00 a.m. and checked out just four hours later at 9:00 a.m. Police are reviewing CCTV footage from the Lat Krabang hotel to track her movements after checkout, though their efforts are hampered by some non-functional cameras.
With a trembling voice, Mr. Weidong noted that unlike the Wang Xing case, his daughter had never shown any interest in acting. He thanked Thai authorities for their efforts while pleading for help in locating his daughter.
Meanwhile, Police General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, director of Thailand’s anti-trafficking center (TICAC) reported that Wang Xing was in good mental condition and would be repatriated once arrangements with the Chinese Embassy were finalized, expected within 1-2 days. Despite his ordeal, Wang Xing expressed no concerns about Thailand and indicated he would return as a tourist in the future.
Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was helped by Thai police, takes a flight from the Mae Sot border to Bangkok on the evening of January 7, 2025.
Police General Thatchai stated that information from actor Wang Xing suggests there are likely more scam victims. Though Thai police can investigate incidents within Thailand’s borders, most of the evidence remains in China. He has instructed officers to trace all communications between involved parties. Those found to have committed crimes will face legal prosecution, especially under human trafficking laws.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and cabinet ministers at a press conference following the Fiscal Year 2026 approval on January 7, 2025.
BANGKOK — The Cabinet meeting on January 7, 2025 approved the annual expenditure budget for fiscal year 2026 amounting to 3.78 trillion baht ($109.25 billion), in line with the medium-term fiscal plan (for fiscal years 2026-2031) approved by the Cabinet on December 24, 2024.
The 2026 budget increased by 27.9 billion baht ($806.36 million) or 0.7 percent compared to the 2025 budget of 3.75 trillion baht ($108.38 billion).
The government expects net revenue of 2.92 trillion baht ($84.39 billion) and will borrow 860 billion baht ($24.86 billion) to cover the budget deficit, equivalent to 4.3 percent of GDP.
The 2026 budget reflects a reduction in the deficit compared to the 2025 budget year, based on economic forecasts for 2026, which expect GDP growth of between 2.3-3.3 percent (median 2.8 percent) and an inflation rate of between 0.7-1.7 percent (median 1.2 percent).
The 2026 budget structure details are as follows:
Regular expenses: 2.65 trillion baht ($76.59 billion) (70 percent of the total budget).
Treasury repayment: 123.54 billion baht ($3.57 billion) (3.3 percent of the total budget).
Investment spending: 860 billion baht ($24.86 billion) (22.7 percent of the total budget).
Debt repayment: 151.2 billion baht ($4.37 billion) (4 percent of the total budget)
The Prime Minister has emphasized the importance of budget utilization, instructing a focus on implementing key government policies, enhancing the country’s competitiveness, and addressing urgent issues such as debt, income, and the cost of living.
“She also stressed the need to support economic expansion, further develop the production and service sectors to boost investor confidence, promote tourism, and drive continuous national development to lay the foundation for equality and sustainability in Thailand,” said Government Spokesperson Jirayu Huangsap.
Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat explained that the 2026 budget framework is in line with the plan agreed upon by the four main economic agencies: the Ministry of Finance, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), the Bank of Thailand (BOT) and the Budget Office. The budget aims to stimulate economic growth.
The spending framework of 3.78 trillion baht includes deficit financing of 860 billion baht, with a deficit reduction of 5 billion baht and a budget increase of 27.9 billion baht, together with an estimated revenue increase of about 30 billion baht.
photo by Matichon
Further considerations were also made during the meeting. The Ministry of Finance was asked to improve the efficiency of revenue collection, while the Budget Office was instructed to ensure proper expenditure management.
The Bank of Thailand will have to monitor inflation targets to keep economic growth in a balanced range of 1-3 percent. This is in line with the agreement between Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Phichai Chunhavachira and Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput to keep inflation at 2 percent.
“The state budget is one of the instruments for stimulating and driving the economy. The budget planning process must adhere to the framework of fiscal discipline and the Budget Procedure Act, all of which are regulated by law. These include investment ratios, deficit limits and other fiscal rules that are clearly defined,” Mr. Julapun said.
Economic agencies generally consider the level of the budget to be adequate to stimulate the economy in the coming period.
Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) has received the 2024 Global Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise Award (Global MIKE Award 2024), recognizing its excellence in knowledge management and innovation, enhancing its competitiveness, and driving sustainable growth.
Pimolrat Reephattanavijitkul, Chief People Officer at CP Foods, stated that CP Foods has showcased outstanding potential in knowledge management and innovation by winning prestigious international awards, including the Southeast Asia Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise Award 2024 (SEA MIKE Award) in September 2024 and the Global MIKE Award 2024 in December, awarded by the Institute of Knowledge and Innovation Southeast Asia (IKI-SEA). This institution is dedicated to developing knowledge and innovation through collaboration with renowned universities and organizations globally.
These two awards reflect CP Foods’ remarkable efficiency and international standards in managing knowledge and innovation within the food industry, which is essential for fostering a culture of learning among our workforce. This leads to increased operational efficiency throughout the production chain and the development of high-quality and safe food products that meet global consumer demands, thus enhancing competitiveness in response to rapid changes and driving growth towards becoming the sustainable “Kitchen of the World”.
“The Global MIKE Award demonstrates CP Foods’ commitment to developing knowledge management throughout the organization. This not only provides the company’s employees opportunities to enhance their skills and learn new knowledge continuously but also shares this knowledge with external stakeholders, such as business partners, educational institutions, and government agencies, in line with the “Three Benefits” philosophy of the CP Group, which focuses on benefits to the nation, the people, and the organization itself,” Ms. Pimolrat added.
Employees are the core of driving the organization’s sustainable growth, which is why CP Foods emphasizes promoting knowledge sharing and experience exchange both within and outside the organization. This includes the establishment of the Nongjok Engineering Excellence Center to develop knowledge and enhance innovation skills among employees, the creation of the “ImRu” digital platform for facilitating knowledge sharing and leveraging creativity among employees, and the establishment of Knowledge Cafes to foster collaborative work environments.
Additionally, the company focuses on promoting a culture of innovation through activities that encourage the creation of new ideas, such as the “CPF Hack the Future” initiative, the “CPF KM Excellence Awards” program, and various projects at the CP Group level, including the “CPG Exponential Surge Project” and the “CP Innovation Exposition” program. Furthermore, CP Foods transfers knowledge related to digital skill development to the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and conducts training programs for partners, sharing knowledge and best practices with communities and contributing to sustainable development.
FILE - Folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, from left, Mary Travers, Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow, perform at a Los Angeles benefit to aid to Cambodian refugees on Jan. 30, 1980. (AP Photo/George Brich, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Peter Yarrow, the singer-songwriter best known as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk-music trio whose impassioned harmonies transfixed millions as they lifted their voices in favor of civil rights and against war, has died. He was 86.
Yarrow, who also co-wrote the group’s most enduring song, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” died Tuesday in New York, publicist Ken Sunshine said. Yarrow had bladder cancer for the past four years.
“Our fearless dragon is tired and has entered the last chapter of his magnificent life. The world knows Peter Yarrow the iconic folk activist, but the human being behind the legend is every bit as generous, creative, passionate, playful, and wise as his lyrics suggest,” his daughter Bethany said in a statement.
During an incredible run of success spanning the 1960s, Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers released six Billboard Top 10 singles, two No. 1 albums and won five Grammys.
They also brought early exposure to Bob Dylan by turning two of his songs, “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and “Blowin’ in the Wind,” into Billboard Top 10 hits as they helped lead an American renaissance in folk music. They performed “Blowin’ in the Wind” at the 1963 March on Washington at which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Yarrow played roles onstage and offstage at the iconic Newport Folk Festival in 1965 when Dylan went electric. Yarrow was on the festival board and emceed the show, begged Dylan to go back on to play another song after his blistering set, a scene captured in the 2024 biopic “A Complete Unknown.” Dylan took Yarrow’s acoustic guitar and played “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.”
After an eight-year hiatus to pursue solo careers, the trio reunited in 1978 for a “Survival Sunday,” an anti-nuclear-power concert that Yarrow had organized in Los Angeles. They would remain together until Travers’ death in 2009. Upon her passing, Yarrow and Stookey continued to perform both separately and together.
Born May 31, 1938, in New York, Yarrow was raised in an upper middle class family he said placed high value on art and scholarship. He took violin lessons as a child, later switching to guitar as he came to embrace the work of such folk-music icons as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
FILE – Singer-songwriter Peter Yarrow, of the 1960’s era musical trio “Peter Paul and Mary,” performs during a memorial tribute concert for folk icon and civil rights activist Pete Seeger in New York on July 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
Upon graduating from Cornell University in 1959, he returned to New York, where he worked as a struggling Greenwich Village musician until connecting with Stookey and Travers. Although his degree was in psychology, he had found his true calling in folk music at Cornell when he worked as a teaching assistant for a class in American folklore his senior year.
“I did it for the money because I wanted to wash dishes less and play guitar more,” he told the late record company executive Joe Smith. But as he led the class in song, he began to discover the emotional impact music could have on an audience.
“I saw these young people at Cornell who were basically very conservative in their backgrounds opening their hearts up and singing with an emotionality and a concern through this vehicle called folk music,” he said. “It gave me a clue that the world was on its way to a certain kind of movement, and that folk music might play a part in it and that I might play a part in folk music.”
Soon after returning to New York, he met impresario Albert Grossman, who would go on to manage Dylan, Janis Joplin and others and who at the time was looking to put together a group that would rival the Kingston Trio, which in 1958 had a hit version of the traditional folk ballad “Tom Dooley.”
But Grossman wanted a trio with a female singer and a member who could be funny enough to keep an audience engaged with comic patter. For the latter, Yarrow suggested a guitar-strumming Greenwich Village comic he’d seen named Noel Stookey.
Stookey, who would use his middle name as a member of the group, happened to be a friend of Travers, who as a teenager had performed and recorded with Pete Seeger and others. Gripped by stage fright, she was reluctant to join the pair at first, changing her mind after she heard how well her contralto voice melded with Yarrow’s tenor and Stookey’s baritone.
“We called Noel up. He was there,” Yarrow said, recalling the first time the three performed together. “We mentioned a bunch of folk songs, which he didn’t know because he didn’t have a real folk-music background, and wound up singing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb.’ And it was immediately great, was just as clear as a bell, and we started working.”
After months of rehearsal the three became an overnight sensation when their first album, 1962’s eponymous “Peter, Paul and Mary,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart. Their second, “In the Wind,” reached No. 4 and their third, “Moving,” put them back at No. 1.
From their earliest albums, the trio sang out against war and injustice in songs like Seeger’s “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have all the Flowers Gone,” Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “When the Ship Comes In” and Yarrow’s own “Day is Done.”
They could also show a soft and poignant side, particularly on “Puff the Magic Dragon,” which Yarrow had written during his Cornell years with college friend Leonard Lipton.
It tells the tale of Jackie Paper, a young boy who embarks on countless adventures with his make-believe dragon friend until he outgrows such childhood fantasies and leaves a sobbing, heartbroken Puff behind. As Yarrow explains: “A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys.”
Some insisted they heard drug references in the song, a contention at the heart of a famous scene in the film “Meet the Parents,” when Ben Stiller angers his girlfriend’s tightly wound father (Robert De Niro) by saying “puff” refers to marijuana smoke. Yarrow maintained it reflected the loss of childhood innocence and nothing more.
After recording their last No. 1 hit, a 1969 cover of John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” the trio split up the following year to pursue solo careers.
That same year Yarrow had pleaded guilty to taking indecent liberties with a 14-year-old girl who had come to his hotel room with her older sister to ask for autographs. The pair found him naked when he answered the door and let them in. Yarrow, who resumed his career after serving three months in jail, was pardoned by President Jimmy Carter in 1981. Over the decades, he apologized repeatedly.
FILE – Folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, from left, Paul Stookey, Mary Travers and Peter Yarrow, appear at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, Jan. 26, 1987. (AP Photo/Lennox McLendon, File)
“I fully support the current movements demanding equal rights for all and refusing to allow continued abuse and injury — most particularly of a sexual nature, of which I am, with great sorrow, guilty,” he told The New York Times in 2019 after being disinvited from a festival over the sentence.
Over the years, Yarrow continued to write and co-write songs, including the 1976 hit “Torn Between Two Lovers” for Mary MacGregor. He received an Emmy nomination in 1979 for the animated film “Puff the Magic Dragon.”
Later songs include the civil rights anthem “No Easy Walk to Freedom,” co-written with Margery Tabankin, and “Light One Candle,” calling for peace in Lebanon.
Yarrow, who with Travers and Stookey had supported Democratic Sen. Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 presidential bid, met the Minnesota senator’s niece, Mary Beth McCarthy, at a campaign event. The couple married the following year. They had two children before divorcing. They remarried in 2022.
In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by a son, Christopher, and a granddaughter, Valentina.
Police officers from Chana Songkhram Police Station cordon off the area where Lim Kimya, a 74-year-old Cambodian political activist, was shot dead near Wat Bowonniwet Vihara temple in Phra Nakhon district on January 7, 2025. (Khaosod Photo/Adisai Pruanpim)
BANGKOK — A Cambodian-French political activist was fatally shot in Bangkok’s historic city area on Tuesday evening, marking a shocking incident of violence in the Thai capital.
Lim Kimya, 74, was gunned down around 5:45 p.m. on January 7 near Wat Bowonniwet Vihara temple in the Phra Nakhon district. The victim, wearing a black polo shirt and cream shorts, sustained two gunshot wounds – one to his right ribcage and another to his right shoulder. Despite immediate medical attention from emergency responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene near the Thirteen Corners roundabout.
According to police reports, the suspect, described as a male riding a red Honda Wave 100 motorcycle with license plate number 845 and wearing a helmet, allegedly concealed the weapon in a bag. The assailant fled the scene via Phra Sumen Road past Wat Bowonniwet.
Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom, the Metropolitan Police Chief, has ordered an immediate investigation into the shooting. Initial investigations reveal that the victim, a political activist, had traveled from Siem Reap, Cambodia, by bus with his French wife and a Cambodian relative before the incident occurred.
The victim’s wife is currently assisting police with their inquiries at Chana Songkhram Police Station as investigators work to establish the motive behind the assassination.
Police officers from Chana Songkhram Police Station cordon off the area where Lim Kimya, a 74-year-old Cambodian political activist, was shot dead near Wat Bowonniwet Vihara temple in Phra Nakhon district on January 7, 2025.
The incident comes at a time when Thai police had just successfully rescued a Chinese actor who had been lured to Myanmar, highlighting the contrasting security situations in the capital.
Police Colonel Sonong and Police Lieutenant Colonel Patcharapon Sukpradit of Chana Songkhram Police Station are leading the investigation, with forensic teams examining the crime scene for additional evidence.
Lim Kimya was a dedicated member of Cambodia’s opposition party CNRP who demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of political persecution. While dozens of his fellow opposition MPs sought exile abroad in 2017, he chose to continue his parliamentary duties, particularly focusing on budget debates despite the increasingly hostile political environment.
The suspect, described as a male riding a red Honda Wave 100 motorcycle with license plate number 845 and wearing a helmet, allegedly concealed the weapon in a bag.
His commitment was especially notable given that he held French citizenship, which could have provided him an easy escape route from the political pressure in Cambodia.
As one of only twenty MPs who remained at the CNRP headquarters in Phnom Penh, he maintained his political activities even as others retreated from public life to avoid arrest. He actively participated in protests, including demonstrations outside the prison where CNRP leader Kem Sokha was detained on treason charges.
Despite facing direct threats and intimidation, he famously declared “I will never give up politics,” reflecting his unwavering commitment to democratic opposition in Cambodia.
A report about Lim Kimya’s political struggle by AFP on November 14, 2017
Mr. Zelimkhan, a Russian national, points to the wire he managed to break free from in his hotel room in Karon, Phuket, after being assaulted and robbed of $20,000 in cash on Jan. 6, 2025.
PHUKET — Thai police arrested one of two Russian suspects who allegedly broke into a fellow countryman’s hotel room, threatened to kill him, and demanded money over a cryptocurrency business dispute.
The victim, 31-year-old Russian national Mr. Zelimkhan, reported to Karon Police that on January 5 around 11:00 p.m., a foreign man forcefully entered his room at Wekata Luxury hotel in Karon, Phuket, physically assaulted him, and stole $20,000 in cash. After managing to break free from his restraints, he filed a police report at Karon Police Station at 3:20 a.m. on January 6.
Mr. Zelimkhan, a Russian national, shows injuries sustained during the assault in his hotel room in Karon, Phuket, where he was robbed of $20,000 in cash.
Police Colonel Khundet Na Nongkhai, Superintendent of Karon Police Station, stated that investigators from Karon Police, Phuket Provincial Police, and Phuket Immigration have identified the suspects, believed to be Russians acquainted with Zelimkhan.The investigation revealed that the mastermind, identified as Andrei, had previous cryptocurrency business dealings with Zelimkhan in Russia. Andrei demanded Zelimkhan return $120,000 and threatened to have his associate kill him if he refused. The assailant attempted to force Zelimkhan to unlock his crypto wallet on his phone, but when Zelimkhan refused to provide the password, he was repeatedly punched and kicked.
Zelimkhan then directed the attacker to his suitcase, claiming there was money inside. The perpetrator searched the luggage and took approximately 60-70 $100 bills. The assailant then dragged Zelimkhan to the bathroom, tied him to the door rail, and kicked him in the chest. Zelimkhan lost consciousness after being struck in the back of the head.
Police officers review security camera footage at a hotel in Karon, Phuket, tracking suspects who broke into a Russian man’s room, assaulted him, and stole $20,000 in cash on January 6, 2025.
Upon regaining consciousness and finding the attacker gone, Zelimkhan managed to free himself from the wire restraints. Unable to use the room’s phone and lacking English language skills, he immediately went to Karon Police Station to report the incident.
Subsequently, the Phuket Provincial Court approved arrest warrants for two Russian suspects. The first suspect, Mr. Andrei, age 37, entered Thailand on November 26, 2024, hasn’t left the country, and hasn’t registered his residence. CCTV footage shows he headed toward Chalong Five-Way Junction in Mueang Phuket District after the incident.
Phuket police arrest Mr. Andrei, a 37-year-old Russian suspect (black shirt) on January 7, 2025.
On January 7, police arrested Andrei at The Residence Resort and Spa Retreat in Cherng Talay, Thalang district, while he was staying with his family.
As for the second suspect, Mr. Dmitri, age 36, who entered Thailand on January 5 at 15:32 and fled to Dubai on January 6 at 02:5, Thai police have requested an Interpol Red Notice. Both suspects have been charged with conspiracy to commit extortion by death threats and conspiracy to detain or imprison others.
Wang Xing shakes hands with Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, director of Thailand's anti-trafficking center (TICAC), thanking him for helping cross the natural border back to Mae Sot district, Tak province, on January 7, 2025.
BANGKOK — Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has launched an urgent response to contain potential damage to Thailand’s tourism sector following the high-profile cross-border trafficking case of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was safely rescued from Myanmar on January 7.
“We must manage this situation effectively to prevent any impact on our tourism industry,” Shinawatra said, addressing growing concerns about social media rumors portraying Thailand as unsafe. The Prime Minister has tasked the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society with monitoring and managing online narratives surrounding the incident.
The case has prompted immediate diplomatic action, with the Thai government establishing direct communication with the Chinese embassy. “This isn’t just about tourism,” Shinawatra noted. “It highlights broader concerns about technological security and transnational scam operations, including call center fraud.”
Wang, known to fans as Xing Xing, fell victim to an elaborate scam that began with a WeChat message from someone falsely claiming to represent GMM Grammy, a major Thai entertainment company. After arriving at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on January 3, he was transported to Mae Sot district and subsequently crossed into Myanmar through an unofficial border point.
Pol. Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, director of Thailand’s anti-trafficking center (TICAC), accompanies Chinese actor Wang Xing on a flight from Mae Sot border to Bangkok on the evening of January 7, 2025.
Police General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, director of Thailand’s anti-trafficking center (TICAC), revealed that Wang admitted during questioning that he realized he had been deceived after crossing the border but felt powerless to resist. GMM Grammy has since issued a statement in Chinese categorically denying any involvement in the incident.
Based on Wang Xing’s account, investigators believe he fell victim to a Chinese-on-Chinese scam operation with no Thai nationals involved. He initially came voluntarily, intending to travel to a third country for a casting job, with Thailand as his transit point.
After crossing into Myanmar, he realized he had been deceived when he was forced to train as a scammer, learning to type fraudulent messages targeting Chinese people. He underwent training for about 2-3 days but had not yet been trained in voice calls or conversations. While he was in a state of fear, he was not physically harmed. Regarding the red mark on his left leg that many netizens questioned, it was identified as a birthmark.
When Thai authorities conducted the rescue operation, they coordinated with Myanmar ethnic minority groups. The operation targeted two locations – the first site held 10 Chinese nationals, while the second location, where Wang Xing was rescued, contained 50 Chinese nationals.
Wang Xing tells Thai police on Jan. 7, 2025 that he realized he had been deceived after crossing the border but felt powerless to act.
Opposition member Rangsiman Rome, who chairs the parliamentary committee on state security and border affairs, emphasized that Wang’s case is not isolated. “We’ve seen numerous trafficking cases involving both Thai and foreign nationals. This high-profile incident should serve as a catalyst for stronger border security measures,” Rome stated. His committee is scheduled to discuss border trafficking issues on January 9.
When questioned about potential changes to the free visa policy for Chinese tourists, the Prime Minister maintained support for the current system while remaining open to refinements. “We continue to support visa-free travel, but we’re willing to consider proposals that could enhance security without compromising tourism,” Shinawatra said.
Tourism and Sports Minister Surang Theenthong stated that he has engaged with the Chinese Ambassador to Thailand regarding the incident, expressing concern over rumors circulating in China about Thailand’s safety.
Combination photo: (Left) Wang Xing arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport; (Right) Wang Xing in photo released by Myanmar authorities, showing his head shaved per Border Guard Forces procedures. Chinese netizens questioned a large red mark on his leg, which was later confirmed to be a birthmark.
“While we acknowledge this sensitive case might affect tourism, the impact won’t be long-term. Finding Wang Xing safe is positive news,” Theenthong stated. “The government and Tourism Ministry’s role is to build confidence among tourists. I’m confident that those who have visited Thailand understand the situation.”
The stakes are particularly high given that China represents Thailand’s largest tourism market. Ministry of Tourism data shows that Chinese visitors topped the country’s foreign arrivals in 2024, with 6.7 million Chinese tourists among the total 35.32 million international visitors.
Thai authorities are now processing Wang’s case through the National Referral Mechanism to determine his status as a trafficking victim, which will guide subsequent protection and repatriation procedures. The incident has become a crucial test of Thailand’s ability to balance its tourism ambitions with growing security challenges along its borders.
CCTV footage shows the moment when Iranian suspects asked to inspect a Vietnamese tourist's money bag, while another Iranian male kept watch, before the robbery in Yaowarat on January 6, 2025.
BANGKOK — Phlapphla Chai police have apprehended two Iranian nationals following a robbery of a Vietnamese tourist in the bustling Bangkok’s Yaowarat, while a third suspect remains at large.
On January 6th at approximately 10:45 PM, a 27-year-old Vietnamese tourist sought police assistance near Royal Hotel on Yaowarat Road in Bangkok’s Samphanthawong district. The incident unfolded as the victim’s friend was pursuing three suspects – two men and a woman. Police officers joined the chase and successfully arrested two of the perpetrators, who were unable to communicate in Thai and required an English interpreter at Phlapphla Chai 2 Police Station.
Bangkok’s Phlapphla Chai police officers apprehend an Iranian male suspect involved in robbing a Vietnamese tourist in Yaowarat area on January 6, 2025.
According to the victim’s statement, he had withdrawn 150,000 baht ($4,350) and kept it in his waist bag before sitting in front of the Royal Hotel. The three foreign nationals approached him, initially engaging in conversation before demanding to see the money in his bag and attempting to snatch it. While the victim managed to recover 100,000 baht ($2,900), the suspects persisted, physically restraining him by grabbing his shirt collar and choking him until he was immobilized. One suspect successfully fled with 50,000 baht ($1,450).
Bangkok’s Phlapphla Chai police officers apprehend an Iranian female suspect involved in robbing a Vietnamese tourist in Yaowarat area on January 6, 2025.
On January 7th, police investigation of CCTV footage corroborated the victim’s account. The arrested suspects were identified as Mr. Amer Hossein, 34, whose visa had expired, and Miss Safieh Latif, 35, who held a valid visa. Despite their denials, the Vietnamese victim and his friend positively identified them as the perpetrators.
Based on witness testimonies and evidence, both suspects have been charged with robbery. Mr. Hossein faces an additional charge of overstaying his visa. Police are continuing their search for the third suspect.
The incident has highlighted ongoing concerns about tourist safety in one of Bangkok’s most popular districts, known for its vibrant Chinese community and street food scene.
