Who’s behind the murder of Kem Ley?
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The body of Kem Ley was taken to Wat Chas, a pagoda known as a popular religious site for dissidents of the Cambodian regime Anne-Laure Porée/swissinfo.ch -
For two weeks people from all corners of the country came pay their last respects to Kem Anne-Laure Porée/swissinfo -
The assassination of Kem hit the newspaper headlines but the national television did not report the funeral despite his immense popularity Anne-Laure Porée/swissinfo.ch -
Hundreds of people signed the book of condolences Anne-Laure Porée/swissinfo.ch -
Many people in Cambodia were in shock following Kem's assissination on July 10, 2016. Mourners at an improvised alter at the Wat Chas pagoda in Phnom Penh Anne-Laure Porée/swissinfo.ch -
The funeral procession took ten hours to arrive from Phnom Penh to Kem's native village 70km outside the Cambodian capital Anne-Laure Porée/swissinfo.ch -
One of Kem's statement became a slogan reprinted on posters, photos and T-shirts at the funeral: "Dry your tears and pursue your journey" Anne-Laure Porée/swissinfo.ch
This content was published on August 23, 2016
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Hundreds of thousands of people participated in the funeral celebrations for Cambodia’s most prominent democracy advocate and government critic Kem Ley, who was assassinated in July.
People of all social classes, age groups and coming from the diifferent provinces of the country accompanied the funeral procession from Phnom Penh to his native village 70km south of the capital, on July 24.
The circumstances of the Kem’s assassination remain unclear. Police arrested a man who apparently admitted to the killing. He said it was an act of vengeance over a financial debt of $3,000 (CHF2,887).
However, many Cambodian’s believe Kem became a victim of a political plot, despite denials by senior members of the ruling party.
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