Prominent Cambodian political analyst shot dead
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A Cambodian political analyst who was a well-known government critic was shot dead Sunday morning in what police say was a personal dispute over money.
Kem Ley, 45, was shot dead at Phnom Penh's Star Mark mall and his attacker arrested shortly afterward, said national police spokesman Gen. Kirth Chantharith. He said the suspect claimed to have shot Kem Ley because he failed to pay him back for a loan. 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.
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, US government-funded services that are among the few independent news sources. He was also frequently quoted in the country's handful of independent newspapers.
