Thousands of Cambodians march:

Asia

Tens of thousands of Cambodians on Sunday joined the funeral procession of a prominent government critic whose murder in broad daylight has raised suspicions of a hit job in country with a long history of political violence.

Kem Ley, a popular pro-democracy voice and grassroots rights activist, was shot dead on July 10 while drinking coffee outside a petrol station in the capital.

The brazen murder sent ripples of fear across a country already brimming with political tension between strongman Hun Sen and a resurgent opposition.

A former soldier charged with the murder claimed he shot Kem Ley over an outstanding debt.

But suspicions of a political assassination continue to run strong in a nation where the rule of law is threadbare and critics of the elite are routinely silenced.

On Sunday a massive crowd of mourners, many carrying portraits of Kem Ley, trailed for kilometres behind Buddhist monks and a motorcade carrying the 46-year-old’s body in a glass casket.

Thousands of others lined the streets to watch the procession, which marked the end of a two-week mourning period that saw people from across the country flock to the Phnom Penh temple where his body had lain.

“He was a mirror of society, a hero. His murder is a huge loss to democracy,” 39-year-old Hul Chan told AFP while he was walking alongside other mourners.

Many wore white shirts printed with Kem Ley’s face and the words: “Wipe your tears, continue your journey.”

Sunday’s procession, one of the largest public gatherings in recent years, will see the activist’s corpse returned to his home village about 70 kms (44 miles) south of the capital for burial. (AFP)