Image: Source
The past year in Laos has been far from business as usual. Yes, high economic growth, development megaprojects, and attendant controversies have continued apace. And, yes, there have been more major international events, notably November’s Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Vientiane, to keep the image of an emergent Laos in the news. However, a series of unusual events – climaxing in recent weeks with the expulsion of an international NGO director and the suspected abduction of a highly respected Lao Civil Society Organization (CSO) figure – suggests the country’s continued emergence as a member of the regional and international community is being accompanied by challenges to the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party’s tight control over political discourse, a key source of its authoritarian power since 1975. Unbothered by mounting negative press coverage abroad, the response by Lao authorities to such events has been to shut down dissent through harassment, dismissal, and sanction.
It is worth summarizing these events briefly. In May the director of the Academy of Social Sciences, Khampheuy Panmalaythong was dismissed for his 2011 comments to the National Assembly (NA), in which he questioned the relevance of Marxism-Leninism in Laos’ education system. The major surprise was not his dismissal – his remarks struck at the heart of official doctrine – but that he made the comments at all. While there is often criticism of what might be called development issues (over displacements and evictions for resource projects, official corruption, etc.), public criticism of the party, the political system, or the leadership is almost unheard of. Since his comments, Dr. Khamphuey has published an academic article in the institute’s journal questioning the relevance and effectiveness of one-party systems, implicitly a far more serious critique of the political status quo, although he did not advocate multi-party democracy for Laos. Time will tell if and how this subsequent analysis will be dealt with.
In June, a group of rural farmers from southern Sekong province were arrested and jailed for their activities in opposing a Vietnam-Laos rubber plantation project, after their customary lands were seized and they were left without land for crop production, forest product collection, or livestock grazing. Earlier, in 2011, the farmers had travelled to Vientiane to submit their grievance to the National Assembly Petition Unit. The group had also been interviewed by a Lao National Radio call-in program, Talk of the News, which the Lao Government subsequently cancelled in January 2012.
In the lead up to the 9th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit of Heads of State (ASEM-9) held in Vientiane from 5-6 November, an Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF) was organized by Lao and regional civil society organizations in cooperation with a division of the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Laos only recently permitted the establishment of local civil society organizations – called non-profit associations (NPAs) – even if they continue to be closely regulated, monitored, and sometimes closely connected to the government. Whilst a relative freedom of speech was noted in the preparatory Lao provincial consultations for the AEPF, once the AEPF was underway in Vientiane it became apparent that Lao security personnel were filming individuals at the workshop and taking unwanted photographs. At least one Lao civil society member was intimidated and felt threatened in response to personal comments made by Lao officials during the forum. These issues and incidents unnerved several other speakers sufficiently for them to withdraw from the event, and few other Lao NPA members ended up speaking at the AEPF. The tensions surrounding the AEPF suggest that, while some within the Lao government have embraced the idea of a functioning civil society, others see it as a threat to established interests, and are willing to act on this.
Then, early in December, as has been widely reported, Anne-Sophie Gindroz, the director of the Swiss NGO Helvetas, was expelled after criticizing government repression of civil society in a personal letter addressed to the development partners of Laos. Gindroz wrote:
… real freedom of expression and assembly are not afforded, and those who wish to exercise their constitutional rights and dare to try, often do so at their own peril faced with intimidation, false accusations and increasingly unlawful arrest. The media are censored and, people are forbidden to hold peaceful assembly/demonstration. Even in Burma – this is no longer the case … There are serious constraints on freedom of expression. Those raising critical issues are considered as opposing the government. A climate of fear is maintained to ensure self-censorship…
The expulsion of Gindroz appears related to her activities around the AEPF meeting. Referring to the AEPF controversy, Gindroz commended those who “were brave enough to share their challenges openly”, remarking that the non-profit associations “who supported them to participate are being investigated still to this day.” Once again, what was surprising about these remarks was their rarity and forcefulness. The self-censorship to which Gindroz referred typically extends to the international community (including, it should be noted, academics).
The most recent incident, widely discussed in the press and in online forums, is the December 15th disappearance of Sombath Somphone (above, source), a senior and highly respected civil society activist in Laos, while driving home in Vientiane. Compelled to respond by the circulation of security camera footage of the incident, the Lao News Agency (KPL) has released a statement suggesting Sombath was pulled over for a routine traffic check – before, apparently, being kidnapped and driven away in a separate vehicle, in the direct presence of uniformed police officers. Released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statement speculates that a business dispute might be to blame, although most think this to be implausible. Links are instead being drawn between Sombath’s disappearance and his involvement with the controversial AEPF, particularly his support for people who made statements advocating for the rights of villagers who are suffering from the loss of their customary lands and resources. As Sombath’s wife has reiterated in public comments, government officials were also involved with the National Organizing Committee of the AEPF, so the event as a whole should not have been tainted. Sombath’s case was discussed at an event on December 21st at the Thai Foreign Correspondents Club (see here, here, here), and has been the subject of comments, letters and diplomatic statements in a number of countries.
An increasing amount of speculation is directly linking Ms. Gindroz’s expulsion and Mr. Sombath’s disappearance to the AEPF controversy, the assumption being that senior party and/or security officials have launched a major crackdown against those involved with AEPF. If true, this would not bode well for Mr. Sombath or his Lao NPA colleagues.
As always in Laos, a growing list of questions remains. But, more broadly, a few things stand out with respect to this series of incidents. First, it is clear that the monopoly long enjoyed by the Lao leadership over public political space is, ever so slightly and gradually, being eroded. The reasons are not hard to see. It was inevitable that, in order to pursue its trajectory of foreign investment-funded resource-based economic growth coupled with international cooperation and aid, the party-state would have to make some concessions, however limited, to the emergence of civil society. Functioning NPAs are one of the norms, however variable, of modern constitutional statehood, and until very recently all organizations within Laos were obliged to be connected to the state. In many cases NPAs may still not be independent of the state but, together with a more outspoken National Assembly, critical voices are being heard more widely than before. While many within Laos, including individuals within the government, recognize the benefits of a functioning civil society and developing the “rule of law,” more conservative (and coercive) forces would apparently like to nip this unwelcome efflorescence of independent mindedness in the bud, before it gets out of hand. The contest, it seems, is not just between the foreign/Lao civil society, on the one hand, and the Lao state on the other, but is also taking place within the Lao state. Of course, just where and between whom these political contests are happening is a far more difficult question to ponder.
Second, although there is ample evidence (without drawing any concrete conclusions about Sombath’s disappearance) that disciplinary forces have so far responded in a heavy-handed fashion to dissent, there may be limits to this approach if Lao leaders wish to retain the country’s current development trajectory and its positive international reception. The government’s plan is based not only on tapping resources – natural ones domestically and financial ones internationally – but on retaining the country’s image as a good – even charming – global citizen, as exemplified by graciously hosting international events like ASEM and being a responsible regional and international partner. Somehow, despite one of the most restrictive political spaces in Asia, Laos has not typically been lumped with Myanmar or even Cambodia as a questionable partner in business or development. Yes, concerns are regularly voiced over corruption and getting the benefits of economic growth to the people, but Laos is rarely the object of international condemnation like that associated until very recently with Myanmar. To put this another way, there seems to be little doubt that newly fashionable Myanmar will “steal” a lot of Laos’s tourism industry; Laos could do without Myanmar’s international pariah status in return. At least some within the party and certainly the government will be squirming as Laos receives increasing amounts of negative international media coverage over these recent human rights cases.
But, third, and most cause for concern, political leaders and security forces in Laos may care less for international image than sending an unequivocal message to the nascent civil society sector and any others that wish to publicly question state policies or their implementation. Although overt government crackdowns are uncommon in post-socialist Laos, where most policing is done from within, they are not unheard of. One thinks specifically of the imprisonment of internal party critics in the early 1990s, the disappearance of student protestors in 1999, and the disappearance/abduction of Sompawn Khanthisouk from northern Laos in 2007. In the past, such clampdowns have had the desired effect of stifling perceptions or hopes of change, however modest, and reinforcing the ever-present, but usually implicit, threat of coercive force against dissenters. If recent events form part of a systematic response by senior levels of the party leadership, it seems the bad old days, when extra-legal repression and impunity were the norm, may be back (or never quite went away). Such actions might be viewed differently today, however. Many years after local non-profit organizations began to emerge in China, Vietnam, and Cambodia, the Lao authorities, faced with the inconvenience of dealing with similar groups, seem to be employing similar methods as its post-socialist neighbors in an attempt to control and repress the new political space that, however tentatively, is emerging in Laos. If a glimmer of hope emerges from such an analysis, it is that, with farmers and activists refusing to acquiesce in the face of intimidation and repression, these countries possess far more extensive and dynamic civil society movements than the nascent one in Laos.
Laos is overrun by NGOs, getting rid of more than a few of them can only be a good thing. Pick up a local newspaper in Vientaine airport you will see job after job, all NGO roles.
I met lots of these NGOs in my travels, they tend to drive nice cars and hang out in all the bars and clubs.
Get rid of them from all of ASEAN
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JM if you are able to have a negative opinion fine but try to be fair and also present the other side. NGO’s staff are diverse . I have been involved with many of them for over 15 years in the region and i have to acknowledge their exceptional work and commitment. that they are a bunch of egos YES, but also compassionate and caring.
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Not only big cars, but big houses staffed with servants. And many big expensive dinner meetings. These on top of salaries that are way out of place in a developing country. If you want to see dysfunctional NGO activity, spend some time in Laos. How can most of these people living in their own isolated community with such disproportionate wealth & luxury have any efficient direct positive impact on ordinary Lao citizens? I suspect that many of them have NO contact with or understanding of the common people.
Specifically relating to the very foundation of the above article, it is primarily speculation. An attempt to link likely unconnected and insignificant incidents to each other is the most positive thing that can be said about it.
To believe that it is a policy of the Lao government to kidnap citizens is a real joke. Sometimes it takes the government years to agree upon seemingly insignificant things. To believe that it can quickly unite to agree to ordering the forced detention of a prominent personality on a busy street during “rush hour” in front of a surveillance camera near a routine traffic checkpoint staffed by uniformed traffic police is not plausible.
To even assume that Somphone’s disappearance is an “abduction” requires a fertile imagination. The security video shows him waiting for someone at a ROUTINE TRAFFIC POLICE checkpoint and quickly entering a vehicle that arrives apparently with the purpose of picking him up. How could this be interpreted as an abduction?
If it has ever been, certainly the Party in Laos no longer is a monolithic organization in which everyone shares the same views & which has the power to impose those views on the citizens. The discussions within the National Assembly (reported and televised) demonstrate the way the wishes of the people should affect their government in a culturally-specific democratic system.
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I dont think you really understand what is going on in Laos. From what you have seen in the clip, he might not be physically forced into getting inside the car. The police simply confiscated his car key and mobile phone. And told him to go to the police station.
his wife and relatives have been trying to search for him and asked help from police but they did nothing. The state run newspapers not even mention about his missing at all. No one dare to say anything even they know what actually happen to him.
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Somsay, I think your interpretation of what is going on in Laos TODAY is faulty, likely distorted by incidents in the past. How can you say that the police did nothing when asked for help? They showed the family the surveillance video and allowed it to be captured on a mobile device for subsequent dissemination. How do you know they have not also been sharing additional information with the family with the understanding that the information remain confidential so as not to jeopardize the on-going investigation? How can you expect the Lao police to have more transparency than the police in, say, the USA, where the only release of specific information during an on-going investigation is done by the police with their own interests in mind?
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I agree with Somsay on this. Evan, you appear to be quite naive. Also, how can you be so certain that no nasty things are happening? Finally, I can’t disclose the details, but you appear to be unaware of some important evidence that links the Lao authorities to Sombath’s disappearance. Anyway, it will all come out with time, I suspect, but I would be wary of such strong statement in defense of the Lao government.
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Thanks for the great write up Simon and Keith. I hope these developments find their way into Asian Survey’s ‘Laos in 2012’ write up, presuming there is one for this next year.
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See below for international headlines on the disappearance/abduction of Sombath Somphone:
Thailand:
Fate of missing Lao activist unknown
http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/news/327150/laos-says-fate-of-missing-activist-unknown
Laos says fate of missing activist unknown
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/15686324/laos-says-fate-of-missing-activist-unknown/
Missing activist being held in custody in Laos
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Missing-activist-being-held-in-custody-in-Laos-30196444.html
Police stop Lao activist before disappearance
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/326999/police-stops-lao-activist-car-before-disappearance
Concern grows as Laos denies knowledge of missing activist
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Concern-grows-as-Laos-denies-knowledge-of-missing–30196412.html
Laos urged to look into missing activist
http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/news/326808/laos-urged-to-look-into-missing-activist
Fears for “detained” Lao activist
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/326946/police-detains-lao-activist
US:
Laos gov’t denies kidnapping missing activist
http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201212200007APONLINEINATIONL_AS_Laos_Missing_Activ-1¶ms=timestamp||12/20/2012%2012:07%20AM%20ET||headline||Laos%20gov%27t%20denies%20kidnapping%20missing%20activist||docSource||AP%20Online||provider||ACQUIREMEDIA&ticker=YHOO
Laos gov’t disavows responsibility for disappearance of prominent activist
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/laos-govt-disavows-responsibility-for-disappearance-of-prominent-activist/2012/12/20/732a8f6e-4a63-11e2-8af9-9b50cb4605a7_story.html
Laos gov’t denies kidnapping missing activist
http://www.heraldextra.com/news/world/asia/laos-gov-t-denies-kidnapping-missing-activist/article_238336d0-d9e7-54cd-8d9e-0a060ceeaee4.html
Wife breaks silence to appeal for safety of missing Lao activist believed in official custody
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/08386c734642430989de43bb8646bacd/AS–Laos-Missing-Activist
Award-winning social activist in Laos goes missing; co-worker says police detained him
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/award-winning-social-activist-in-laos-goes-missing-co-worker-says-police-detained-him/2012/12/19/b384efd8-49a4-11e2-8af9-9b50cb4605a7_story.html
Did Lao authorities kidnap an activist scholar?
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/southeast-asia/did-lao-authorities-kidnap-activist-scholar
Disappearance of Lao activist triggers concern
http://investing.businessweek.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201212190121APONLINEINATIONL_AP_AS_Laos_Missing_Ac-1¶ms=timestamp||12/19/2012%201:21%20AM%20ET||headline||Disappearance%20of%20Lao%20activist%20triggers%20concern||docSource||AP%20Online||provider||ACQUIREMEDIA
Disappearance of Lao Activist Triggers Concern
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/disappearance-lao-activist-triggers-concern-18004408#.UNEg_azHRGc
Award-winning social activist in Laos goes missing; co-worker says police detained him
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/12/18/award-winning-social-activist-in-laos-goes-missing-co-worker-says-police/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fworld+%28Internal+-+World+Latest+-+Text%29
Malaysia
Rights group calls for release of activist missing in Laos
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/12/20/worldupdates/2012-12-20T060707Z_1_BRE8BJ06D_RTROPTT_0_UK-LAOS-ACTIVIST&sec=Worldupdates
Australia:
US concerned for ‘detained’ Laos activist
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/us-concerned-for-detained-laos-activist/story-fn3dxix6-1226540646221
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/breaking-news/us-concerned-for-detained-laos-activist/story-e6freuz9-1226540646221
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/us-concerned-for-detained-laos-activist/story-e6frfkui-1226540646221
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/us-concerned-for-detained-laos-activist/story-e6freoo6-1226540646221
Radio Australia interview with Sombath’s wife http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2012-12-20/lao-government-confirms-possible-kidnap-of-activist/1063924
Singapore:
Fears for ‘detained’ Laos development campaigner
http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/se-asia/story/fears-detained-laos-development-campaigner-20121219
Philippines:
2005 Ramon Magsaysay awardee detained, US voices concern
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/50777/2005-ramon-magsaysay-awardee-detained-us-voices-concern
Burma:
Disappearance of Lao Activist Triggers Concern
http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/21522
Brunei:
http://www.bt.com.bn/news-asia/2012/12/20/brief
Swizerland:
Rights group calls for release of activist missing in Laos
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/Rights_group_calls_for_release_of_activist_missing_in_Laos.html?cid=34562588
UK:
Vietnam stops blogger from flying to US
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/19/vietnam-stops-blogger-flying-us
RFA:
Police Link to Missing Activist
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/sombath-somphone-12192012200655.html
Middle East:
Rights group calls for release of activist missing in Laos
http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/rights-group-calls-release-activist-missing-laos-055539128.html
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Anyone who studies international mass media (and mass media in many countires, i.e. USA) today knows that they mostly follow the reporting/slant/lead of the other players. Listing the numerous instances of this regarding the disappearance of Sombath as Mr. Barney does has more to do with the monopolization of reporting than with the Sombath situation. In fact, he should expand on his analysis and it will provide the best documentation yet seen how the media tend to create reality rather than report it.
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It is notable that in the leadup to the Asia-Europe People’s Forum, and the ASEM Summit in Vientiane, Sombath Somphone was a co-author of a opinion piece entitled “Listening to the People’s Voice”.
Under pressure from persons in the Government of Laos, both authors were forced to issue a retraction of the statement. The authors issued a statement saying that it was a draft document.
Below is the original ‘draft’ document.
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“Listening to the People’s Voice”
By Minh H. Pham and Sombath Somphone
October 8th, 2012
In one week, Vientiane will host a key forum as part of the run-up to next month’s Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Lao PDR, where leaders of 48 nations will work to strengthen their relationship on development issues of common interest. This crucial preliminary event, from 16 to 19 October, is the 9th Asia-Europe People’s Forum (AEPF), with a theme
of “People’s Solidarity Against Poverty and for Sustainable
Development.”
This theme is especially fitting for Lao PDR. In many parts of the country, the struggle against poverty and the pursuit of sustainable and dignified livelihoods continue to be major challenges despite steady national economic growth during the last decade.
To contribute to the overall “people’s visions” expected to emerge from the AEPF, a series of extraordinary grassroots consultations has been undertaken in Lao PDR to gauge the “pulse” of public sentiment on how the country is moving forward.
These grassroots consultations did not measure income or material poverty. Instead, they adopted an innovative approach focused on clear concepts that are easily understandable by all: “happiness” (khouam souk in Lao) and “suffering” (khouam thuk). This first-of-its-kind exercise produced very interesting results.
Across all 16 provinces, highly diverse groups were asked to identify issues that affect their own personal “happiness” or “well-being” as well as their “suffering” or “poverty.” These included not only ordinary villagers and workers, women’s representatives, and local Government officials, but also business owners, monks, people with disabilities, HIV-positive people, and young people.
Building on a consensus at the personal level, the groups then explored issues of “happiness” and “suffering” at the societal level by relating these to four pillars of development – economy, culture, nature and spirituality – and further ranking the three top issues under each pillar.
Full data from the consultations are still being consolidated and analyzed, but preliminary findings can be grouped into four major themes that emerged as contributing most to the people’s “happiness” or “suffering”:
a) Good governance. Across all social groups, the people strongly emphasized the need for wise leadership and good governance as the fundamental basis for influencing happiness in multiple domains. In particular, they repeatedly stressed the need to consistently enforce laws and ensure social justice as precursors to social equity. This would indicate a keen interest in strengthened public service
delivery, transparency and a role for the nascent civil society to contribute to inclusive development.
b) Improved sustainable livelihoods and social protection. Most people also were concerned with having an adequate income to provide a decent standard of living and financial security, as well as with having a range of economic opportunities. Continued strong policies will be needed to proactively improve the enabling environment for a
job-creating private sector, including in manufacturing, tourism, and higher-value-added agriculture.
c) Good health and adequate education. People highly valued
accessibility to and establishment of good schools, with good teachers and spacious classrooms. Their overall satisfaction with their health reflected not only their actual physical condition, but also their emotional and psychological well-being. If health and education are strong components of “happiness,” then there is every reason for their continued enhancement to be policy priorities of the state.
d) Protection of natural resources. Natural resource-based
economic growth, underpinned by expanding Foreign Direct Investment, is pressuring traditional livelihoods and valuable environmental assets. In turn, the findings showed, this is leading to widespread “suffering.” Many rural Lao families and communities retain serious concerns about land security. At the same time, deforestation is severe and non-sustainable land and water use are rising. People want
policies that will ensure sustainable natural resource management and effective adaptation to climate change.
Now, how do we use these clear public messages to inform where the country is heading at this crucial time? How do we integrate them into national debates and planning or budgeting mechanisms?
The Government has one critical opportunity during the 2013 mid-term review of implementation of the 7th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP), when such observations could be used to help fine-tune some of the Plan’s valuable goals. Another key opportunity could emerge if the National Assembly holds a special session in the
coming months todiscuss and debate the people’s observations.
Looking further ahead, the results also could help to influence the formulation of the next NSEDP in 2014, helping to ensure that Lao PDR achieves the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the following year and graduates from Least Developed Country status by 2020. Lastly, all this could be profitably integrated into the objectives of the post-
MDG global development paradigm, as well as into the shaping of Lao PDR’s future Vision 2030.
The people have spoken. We encourage the Government to make a substantive response, so that this becomes a true national dialogue on common development concerns and interests as Lao PDR moves forward.
–
Minh H. Pham is the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Lao PDR and the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme.
Sombath Somphone, founder of Participatory Development
Training Center (or PADETC), Magsaysay laureate, and Co-chair of the National Organizing Committee for AEPF9.
For more news about the AEPF9, visit http://www.aepf9.info
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Simon and Keith,
Thanks for starting up this discussion with your provocative posting. I too am very concerned with the situation in Laos, and especially the safety of Sombath Somphone. Those who know him will recognise that he is far from radical, and is certainly not someone who deserve to be ‘disappeared’.
However, this being said, I wonder if recent events really are signaling a return to the “bad old days”, or if what has happened simply represents a continuation of what has long been occurring in Laos? To me, the main reasons why this series of events probably seem different are that three out of the four examples provided relate directly to foreign civil society activities in Laos; and the fourth, Khampheuy, became well known due to the filming of his statements in the National Assembly, and their distribution widely and internationally on the internet. He was also in charge of an important Social Science research institution, one with some foreign involvement.
In the past, similarly nasty incidences, or even more so, have occurred in Laos, and not so long ago either. However, news travels unevenly, and with uneven impact, and in many of those cases I am thinking about, largely out of the view of foreigners, for both geographical and other reasons.
For example, dozens of Lao refugees (maybe well over 100) with anti-Lao government sentiments living in Thailand near the Lao border were assassinated between the early 2000s and the last year or two. Many believe that they were killed with Lao government involvement, either by assassins from Laos, or by Thai assassins hired by the Lao government. But for the most part, the international media hasn’t picked up on the story. The networks of those killed were much weaker in terms of gaining international exposure.
There have also been plenty of Hmong disappearances and deaths over the years, including Hmong Lao citizens and Hmong from the USA. I know of one killing that occurred near Km 52 last year. Again, these are well-known amongst the Hmong community, but they have not received as much interest or attention within the academic and international civil society communities.
Even this last July, the jail in Phonsavanh, Xieng Khouang was full of Hmong (at least 50) arrested for allegedly being connected to the last remnants of the Hmong resistance in the forests near Phou Bia Mountain. But it was out of sight, and so the international media did not pick up on it.
I am certainly not bringing up these examples to belittle what has happened in Laos this year. These events are certainly important, and deserve the attention they are receiving, but I don’t think that what has recently happened indicates any particular change in Laos, it is just visible to international academics and civil society in ways that other nasty events have not been. That is, I believe, at least part of the story. Maybe the story is that the Lao government has become more willing to openly target international civil society in Laos?
In any case, thanks for getting the discussion going.
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Lao dang will never like lao nork idea or western. All lao dang like just $$ they lier anything to get $$.
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I dontknow who you are ane where you live, i believe you were born in Lao Land (Lanxang Country) as you know, please love your hameland and support us in advantage way to build your homeland if you are Lao, if you arent please close your mouth.
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Via the LaoFAB Listserve:
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“Here is something to read on Christmas Day:
A keynote address made by Sombath last year, with the title ‘The Force of InterтАРconnectedness’.
http://www.api-fellowships.org/body/keynote_sombath_cm.pdf
The keywords are education, happiness, balanced development, well- being, mindfulness…
I hope Sombath will be returned soon, so that he can continue his work for the benefit of Laos.
– Andrew
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December 25, 2012
Minister of The Prime Minister’s Office
President of The National Assembly
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Interior
Governor, Vientiane Prefecture
Vientiane, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic
CC:
Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of ASEAN
Embassies/consulates of Australia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, USA
Re: Request disclosure of status of investigation into the disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone
Dear Madams and Sirs:
It has been ten days since the disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone, the founder and former Director of PADETC. A statement released in the KPL on December 19 by the Lao Government said, “the authorities concerned are currently and seriously investigating the incidence in order to find out the truth and whereabouts of Mr. Sombath.” We request information on the findings of this investigation.
Mr. Somphone’s disappearance has raised alarm across the world. Parliamentarians, government representatives, international diplomats, scholars, donors and civil society have joined in urging the Lao Government to urgently investigate the matter and ensure Mr. Somphone’s safety. Mr. Somphone’s wife has appealed to the Ministry of Public Security and other authorities in the Lao Government, to investigate Mr. Somphone’s disappearance and ensure his safety. On December 21, the spokesperson for the UN High Commission for Human Rights expressed concern about the “enforced disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone,” believing that his abduction may be related to his human rights work.
Since his disappearance on December 15, Mr. Somphone’s family, friends and colleagues have not received any updates from the official investigation into his abduction, nor of his possible whereabouts.
We again urge the Lao Government to act with immediacy on this matter, and disclose the progress of the investigation to date, so that we can all cooperate in locating Mr. Somphone and ensure his safe return to his family and community. Swift actions by the Lao Government on this enforced disappearance and the safe return of Mr. Somphone will surely bring credit to the country.
Respectfully,
1. Aksone Saysana, Lao PDR
2. Alec Bamford, Thailand
3. Andrew Bartlett, United Kingdom
4. Andrew Nette, Australia
5. Angela Savage, Australia
6. ASEAN WATCH-Thailand
7. Asian Public Intellectuals (API) Community
8. Bank Information Centre (BIC)
9. Ms. Binh Hoang, Mekong Program Coordinator, GreenID Innovation and Development Center, Vietnam
10. Both ENDS, Netherlands
11. Bruce Shoemaker, USA
12. Dr. Carl Middleton, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
13. Chanida Bamford, Thailand
14. Mr. Chris Greacen
15. Ms. Chunchom Sangarasri Greacen
16. Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development.
17. Chunshan Zhang
18. Do Hai Linh, Vietnam
19. EOM Eunhui, National University Asia Center, South Korea
20. The Finnish NGO platform Kepa, Finland
21. Focus on the Global South, Asia
22. Fu Tao, China
23. German East Timor Association (DOTG e.V.)
24. Global Association for People and the Environment
25. Grainne Ryder, Canada
26. Green Innovation and Development Centre, Vietnam
27. Hoang Duong Thien, Vietnam
28. Indian Social Action Forum, India
29. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
30. International Rivers, USA
31. Ith Mathoura, Samreth Law Group, Cambodia
32. Jim Enright, Mangrove Action Project – Asia (Thailand)
33. Dr. Keith D. Barney, Lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Australia.
34. Ken Kampe, Office of Retired Developers, Thailand
35. Khiev Kanal, Cambodia
36. Lam Thi Thu Suu, Vietnam Rivers Network (VRN)
37. La Via Campesina
38. Le Kim Nhien, Vietnam
39. Man Vuthy, Community Legal Education Center (CLEC), Cambodia
40. Margie Law, Mekong Monitor, Tasmania
41. Mean Meach, 3SPN, Cambodia
42. Mekong Energy and Ecology Network (MEENet)
43. Mekong Watch, Japan
44. Mongkhon Duangkhiew, Thailand
45. Mueda Nawanat, Thailand
46. NGO Forum on Cambodia
47. Nguyen Thi Kim Cuc , Mekong Alumni Network ,Vietnam
48. Patricia DeBoer, American Friends Service Committee
49. Dr. Philip Hirsch, Mekong Research Group (AMRC)тАи School of Geosciences, the University of Sydney
50. Phokham, Thailand
51. Randall Arnst, Thailand
52. Sangthorng La, Mekong Allumni
53. Dr. Satoru Matsumoto, Faculty of Intercultural Communication, Hosei University, Japan
54. School of Democratic Economics, Indonesia
55. Shining Som, Burma/Myanmar
56. Tanasak Phosrikun
57. Thai NGO coordinating Committee on development (NGO-COD)
58. Tipakson Manpati, Thailand
59. The Cornerhouse, United Kingdom
60. Thou, Cambodia
61. Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (TERRA)
62. Toukta, Lao PDR
63. Trinh Le Nguyen, Vietnam
64. WARECOD, Vietnam
65. World Rainforest Movement
66. Zuo Tao, China
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December 18, 2012
Minister of The Prime Minister’s Office
President of The National Assembly
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Interior
Minister of Public National Security
Governor, Vientiane Prefecture
Vientiane, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic
CC:
Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of ASEAN
Embassies/consulates of Australia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, USA
Re: Request urgent investigation into the disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone
Dear Madam and Sir,
Last Saturday 15th December 2012, we were informed about the disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone, the founder of the Participatory Development Training Centre (PADECT), winner of Ramon Magsaysay Award 2005, highly committed social development practitioner, and senior respected Lao scholar. His sudden disappearance reportedly happened in the heart of Vientiane Municipality in late afternoon of December 16, while he was driving his car home from his office. Thai People who know Mr. Sombath found this news shocking and are now in grave concern about his safety.
People in Thai society, ASEAN as well as international community recognize Mr. Sombath as one of the first pioneers in development and one of the most dedicated social development practitioners in Lao PDR. His tireless effort towards better education for all has for decades been outstandingly beneficial to many people in his own country. His winning the honorable Ramon Magsaysay Award for community service stands as a proof of the important influence and value of his work to a large number of people in the country who are in need of development and education opportunity. Besides, his endeavor for the good of the people in his own country is always inspiring to many of us outside.
Consequently, we, civil society organizations in Thailand, urge concerned Lao authorities to take every urgent action with regard to Mr. Sombath’s disappearance. We look forward to hearing that all immediate and necessary efforts are made to search his whereabouts and investigate the cause of his disappearance.
Above all and last, we hope that Mr. Sombath remains safe and will re-appear to resume his unfinished mission. For this will be encouraging to not only those sharing a similar mission, but, those committed to the course of making this world a better place for us all.
Sincerely Yours,
Alternative Agriculture Network
ASEAN WATCH –Thailand
Assembly of the Poor, the Case of Pak Mun Dam
Biothai
Center for Human Right Promotion in the Northeast Region
Community Sector Development Foundation
Confederation of Consumer Organization_on (INMiST)
Drug Study Group
Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand
Esan Community Foundation
ESAN Women’s Network
Federation of Northern Farmers, Thailand
Foundation for Ecological Recovery
Four Regions Slum Network
FTA Watch
Human Settlement Foundation
Institute for Nurturing Minds for Social Transformation (HTML)
International Network of Engaged Buddhists
ISAN Voice
Lanna Local Wisdom School
Living River Siam
Local Wisdom Network, Ubon Ratchathani
Medicine Study Group
Ms. Pornsiri Cheevapattananuwong, Humanities Faculty, Mahasarakham University
Mun River Wetland Recovery Project
NGO Coordinating Committee on Development, Northeastern Thailand
NGO Coordinating Committee on Development, Northern Thailand
Northeast Thai Development Foundation
Northern Development Foundation
Northern Network for Land Reform
Northern Thai NGO Coordinating Committee
NorthNet Foundation
Peace and Human Rights Resource Center
People’s Network against Nuclear Power Plant, Surin
People’s Network for Social and Political Reform
People’s Network on Biomass Power Plant Impacts, Ubon Ratchathani
P-Move
Prachatham News Network
Rak Chiang Khan Group
Rak Khao Chamao Group
Reclaiming Rural Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Action (RRAFA)
Sathirakoses-Nagapradipa Foundation
School for Wellbeing Studies and Research
Slum Community Network
Social Management Institute
Study Group for Energy Justice and Sustainability
Sustainable Agriculture Foundation (Thailand)
Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF)
Sustainable Energy Network
Thai Development Support Center
Thai NGO Coordinating Committee on Development
Thai Volunteer Service Foundation
Alternative Agriculture Network
Alternative Agriculture Network, Northeast Thailand
Eco Cultural and Restoration Study Center, Petchaboon Mountain Range Community
Thai Working Group for Climate Justice
ThaiDhhra
Thailand Alternative Education Council
Thai-Water Partnership
The Campaign Committee for Human Rights
The Collaboration for the Young Generation in Mekong Region
The Creative Youth Group
Women’s Network for Land Rights Protection, Petchaboon Province
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20th December 2012
Madam Phavanh Nuanthasing
Director General
Department of International Organizations
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Subject: Expression of Concern: Disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone
Dear Madam Phavanh Nuanthasing,
We have learned that Mr. Sombath Somphone, founder of the Participatory Development Training Centre (PADETC), disappeared last Saturday, 15th December 2012, 18:00 in the center of Vientiane.
We know Mr. Somphone as being highly committed to the development of the people of the Lao PDR, and he is very respected in the Lao and International development communities. His family has reported him missing to the Ministry of Public Security, but has received no news about his whereabouts.
We are very concerned about Mr. Somphone’s safety, and we urge the Lao authorities to use its resources to locate him and bring him home safely.
We stand ready to support in any way we can.
We hope to welcome him back safely very soon.
Yours sincerely,
Apheda
Afesip
Care International
Cesvi
ChildFund Australia
Community Learning International
Cord
CUSO/VSO
WeltHungerHilfe WHH/GAA
GAPE
GRET
Handicap International
Helvetas Laos
Mines Advisory Group -MAG
Médecins du Monde – MDM
Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF
Save the Children International
SNV
Swiss Red Cross
WaterAid Australia
World Renew
World Vision
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His Excellency
Thongsing Thammavong
Prime Minister
People’s Democratic Republic of Laos
19th December 2012
Excellency,
Re: Request urgent investigation into the disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone
We, members of parliament across Asia and Europe, write to you deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of Mr. Sombath Somphone one of the most prominent Lao co-organizers of the Asia Europe People’s Forum 9, the founder and former Director of PADETC and one of the most respected and influential voices for sustainable people-centred and just economic and social development in Laos as well as in Asia.
Mr. Sombath Somphone has been missing since about 5 pm on Saturday December 15th 2012.
His wife and colleagues last saw Mr. Sombath Somphone on December 15 at 5 pm when he left the PADETC office in Vientiane to go home. He left the office in his own car; his wife was in another car. He did not reach home and his family has had no news from or about him since then.
We are concerned about his safety, his state of health and his wellbeing.
We are aware that the International Organising Committee of the Asia Europe People’s Forum has worked intensively with Mr. Sombath Somphone over the last year. His contribution to the successful Asia Europe People’s Forum 9 in Vientiane on the 16-19 October was extremely significant, widely recognized and deeply respected.
In addition he is a highly respected educationalist, inspiration for sustainable development and a recipient of the prestigious international Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 2005. He has dedicated his life to sustainable development and poverty reduction in the Lao PDR, and has contributed positively to numerous international processes, including the AEPF9.
Mr. Sombath is an inspiration to development practitioners all over the world.
We are deeply concerned for Mr. Sombath’s safety and well-being and his disappearance is cause for great alarm.
We urge the Lao Government to immediately and urgently initiate an investigation into Mr. Sombath’s disappearance. And , we call on the government to undertake all actions necessary to ensure his immediate release.
Yours sincerely,
CAMBODIA
Son Chay (Party Whip)
Sam Rainsy Party (SRP)
GERMANY
Helmut Scholz (MEP)
Die Linke
European United Left /Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL),
European Parliament
Annette Groth (Human Rights Spokesperson of the Parliamentary Group)
Linksfraktion
Heike H├дnsel
INDONESIA
M. Hanif Dhakiri (Fraction Leader)
Nation Awakening Party (PKB)
Budiman Sudjatmiko
Gedung DPR/MPR
MALAYSIA
Chong
Democratic Action Party
Tian Chua
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Teo Nie Ching
Democratic Action Party
Ngeh Koo Ham
Democratic Action Party
M Manoraharan
Democratic Action Party
Tony Pua
Democratic Action Party
Charles Santiago
Democratic Action Party
Ramakrishan Suppiah
Democratic Action Party
Liew Chin Tong
Democratic Action Party
PHILIPPINES
Walden Bello
Akbayan
Teddy- Brawner Baguilat
Liberal Party
Arlene Bag-ao
Akbayan
Jorge Banal
Liberal Party
Bernadette Herrera-Dy
Bagong Henerasyon
Lorenzo Tanada III
Liberal Party
SPAIN
Laia Ortiz Castellv├н (Portavoz de la Comisi├│n de Cooperaci├│n Internacional para el Desarrollo)
G.P. La Izquierda Plural (GIP)
Copy Furnished:
тАв Vice Minister Bounkeut Sangsomak
тАв Director Khamphao Ernthavanh, Institute of Foreign Affairs
тАв Ministry of Foreign Affairs
тАв ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan
тАв Ambassador David Lipman, Official EU Representative
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Bangkok Post interview with Sombath Somphone
—————————–
INTERVIEW
“Teaching happiness”
Academic Sombath Somphone wants a rethink of education systems, with an input from students, as Asean countries prepare to come together in 2015
тАв Published: Bangkok Post 24/08/2012
тАв Newspaper section: Life
There is no stopping academic Sombath Somphone from voicing opinions on issues close to his heart _ in this instance the need for Asean to focus on sustainable education as it prepares for the Asean Economic Community in 2015.
The Laos-born recipient of the 2005 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership is currently executive director of the Participatory Development Training Centre in Vientiane.
With degrees in education and agriculture from the University of Hawaii, Sombath’s achievements to date have largely focused on the betterment of his people _ including the Rice-Based Integrated Farm System Project to assist local farmers gain food security, and the founding of PADETC, a pioneering non-profit entity designed to foster sustainable and self-sufficient development in Laos.
Life caught up with the soft-spoken educator while he was in Bangkok to attend the Asian Public Intellectuals Regional Project Culminating Event.
He spoke passionately about the direction education needs to go to take advantage of the coming together of Asean in three years.
“Asean leaders have to focus on improving education in the region to make this union a constructive one.
“However, the road to achieving this does not look bright if we are to judge by the political will of Asean leaders, who are more interested in following such unsustainable patterns of development based on economic growth,” he said. “They also don’t see the need for a fresh approach to education, which might go against what they are used to.
“Unless there is a major crisis, people will not wake up to the realisation that our education system needs a total overhaul. Today’s schooling system is too slow and traditional. The focus should not solely be on academics.
“We have to recognise a student’s individual abilities and talents. Everyone has it, it’s just schools don’t capitalise on the differences that are found amongst the student body. We have to let people excel according to their own abilities and talents, which can develop at any age. Sadly, we have not been taught to self-assess, which I believe is worth taking the time to invest in. The younger the student, the easier it is to find and develop their innate talents and skills.”
Sombath advocates the need to have youth involved in the direction education should be taking. He said it is critical to get their viewpoints because they are the future of the country, and have the right to voice their thoughts via such channels as social media and public forums. It is the responsibility of people in authority to listen.
Today’s students need to be supported and encouraged to share their opinions, said the concerned Magsaysay recipient, who has designed new child-focused lesson plans for primary schools in Laos. As an experienced educator,
Sombath said regional events such as the Ninth Asia Europe Summit Meeting, which Laos will host at the end of this year, are forums that can be used to gauge the pulse of today’s youth and understand what they want from their education system. During the lead up to this people’s forum, there have been public gatherings in Lao provinces to gather ideas from various segments of society, especially the youth on how they want to map their future. He hopes to encourage more countries to practise this.
Innate intelligence, according to Sombath, should be stimulated when children are young. Having researched the issue, he said youngsters can learn as many as eight languages simultaneously prior to reaching puberty.
Unfortunately, the current education system is such that students don’t learn a foreign language until they are about 12, which is not a brain-based approach.
It is regrettable, he lamented, that most parents leave education to schools and progress to development planners and then wonder why students coming out of educational institutions seldom link what they learn with what they do in life. Sombath said educators should be focusing on the connection between economy, spiritual well-being, nature and society as the fundamental building blocks of sustainability and happiness, adding that how one lives and educates himself and his family dictates the future of his loved ones.
“Our education system is not doing its job and should be put in criminal court,” the amiable community leader joked. “A sustainable education and development model should have a balance between the four pillars _ economic development, environmental harmony, promotion and preservation of culture, and spiritual well-being.
“The model of development I propose was first initiated in
Bhutan.”
The goal of development cannot hinge on just how well the GNP (gross national product) is advancing, but also on improvement in people’s well-being, also known as gross national happiness (GNH). In this model, education is conceptualised as the foundation.
“The aforementioned four pillars represent various dimensions of development and are an anchored part of the education process. Education and development in an ecological, holistic manner are interconnected, both are inter-dependent and supportive of each other.
“Of course, at the base of the model is good governance, which promotes justice and fairness for everyone through the rule of law.
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December 26, 2012
Minister of The Prime Minister’s Office
President of The National Assembly
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Public Security
Vientiane, Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic
CC:
The Lao Women’s Union, Lao PDR
The Minister of Education, Lao PDR
Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary General of ASEAN
Embassies/consulates of Australia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, USA
Re: Request disclosure of status of investigation into the disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone
Dear Madams and Sirs:
We write to you with deepening concern. It has been over ten days since the disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone, the founder and former Director of PADETC. A statement released in the KPL on December 19 by the Lao Government said, “the authorities concerned are currently and seriously investigating the incidence in order to find out the truth and whereabouts of Mr. Sombath.” We request information on the findings of this investigation.
Mr. Sombath is deeply respected nationally and internationally for his service to the Lao PDR. He is a well-known advocate of peace and spiritual balance, and has shown by example through his work, the importance of cooperation, compassion and education to achieve sustainable development. Mr. Sombath’s disappearance has raised concerns across the world. Parliamentarians, government representatives, international diplomats, scholars, donors and civil society have joined in urging the Lao Government to urgently investigate the matter and ensure Mr. Sombath’s safety. On December 21, the spokesperson for the UN High Commission for Human Rights expressed concern about the “enforced disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone,” and urged the authorities to do everything possible to ensure that Mr. Sombath is found safe and unharmed. тАи тАи
Mr. Sombath’s wife has appealed to the Ministry of Public Security and other Lao Government authorities to investigate Mr. Sombath’s disappearance and ensure his safety. But since his disappearance on December 15, Mr. Sombath’s family, friends and colleagues have not received any updates from the official investigation into his abduction, nor of his possible whereabouts.
We again urge the Lao Government to act with immediacy on this matter, and disclose the progress of the investigation to date, so that we can all cooperate in locating Mr. Sombath and ensure his safe return to his family and community. Swift actions by the Lao Government on this matter and the safe return of Mr. Sombath will surely bring credit to the country.
Respectfully,
1. Aksone Saysana, Lao PDR
2. Alec Bamford, Thailand
3. Andrew Bartlett, United Kingdom
4. Andrew Nette, Australia
5. Angela Savage, Australia
6. ASEAN WATCH-Thailand
7. Asian Public Intellectuals (API) Community
8. Bank Information Centre (BIC)
9. Binh Hoang, Mekong Program Coordinator, GreenID Innovation and Development Center, Vietnam
10. Both ENDS, Netherlands
11. Bruce Shoemaker, USA
12. Dr. Carl Middleton, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
13. Chanida Bamford, Thailand
14. Chris Greacen
15. Chris Perkins, Lao PDR
16. Chunchom Sangarasri Greacen
17. Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development.
18. Chunshan Zhang
19. David J.H. Blake, PhD candidate, School of International Development, University of East Anglia
20. Do Hai Linh, Vietnam
21. EOM Eunhui, National University Asia Center, South Korea
22. Focus on the Global South
23. Fu Tao, China
24. German East Timor Association (DOTG E.V.)
25. Global Association for People and the Environment
26. Grainne Ryder, Canada
27. Green Innovation and Development Centre, Vietnam
28. Hoang Duong Thien, Vietnam
29. Indian Social Action Forum, India
30. International Rivers, USA
31. Ith Mathoura, Samreth Law Group, Cambodia
32. Jacques Op de Laak, The Netherlands
33. Jan Willem Ketelaar, The Netherlands
34. Jim Enright, Mangrove Action Project – Asia, Thailand
35. Dr. Keith D. Barney, Lecturer, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Australia.
36. Ken Kampe, Office of Retired Developers, Thailand
37. Khiev Kanal, Cambodia
38. Lam Thi Thu Suu, Vietnam Rivers Network (VRN)
39. La Via Campesina
40. Le Kim Nhien, Vietnam
41. Man Vuthy, Community Legal Education Center (CLEC), Cambodia
42. Margie Law, Mekong Monitor, Tasmania
43. Mean Meach, 3SPN, Cambodia
44. Mekong Energy and Ecology Network (MEENet)
45. Mekong Peace Journey Alumni
46. Mekong Watch, Japan
47. Mongkhon Duangkhiew, Thailand
48. Mueda Nawanat, Thailand
49. NGO Forum on Cambodia
50. Nguyen Thi Kim Cuc , Mekong Alumni Network ,Vietnam
51. Patricia DeBoer, American Friends Service Committee
52. Dr. Philip Hirsch, Mekong Research Group (AMRC),тАиSchool of Geosciences, the University of Sydney, Australia
53. Phokham, Thailand
54. Randall Arnst, Thailand
55. Dr. Richard M Friend, United Kingdom
56. Sangthorng La, Mekong Allumni
57. Dr. Satoru Matsumoto, Faculty of Intercultural Communication, Hosei University, Japan
58. School of Democratic Economics, Indonesia
59. Shining Som, Burma/Myanmar
60. Tanasak Phosrikun
61. Thai NGO coordinating Committee on development (NGO-COD)
62. Tipakson Manpati, Thailand
63. The Cornerhouse, United Kingdom
64. The Finnish NGO platform Kepa, Finland
65. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
66. Thou, Cambodia
67. Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (TERRA)
68. Toukta, Lao PDR
69. Trinh Le Nguyen, Vietnam
70. WARECOD, Vietnam
71. World Rainforest Movement
72. Zuo Tao, China
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The government knows exactly what happened to him and the international community should not let this go. It is modus operandi for these people. Didn’t they do the same thing to a group of protesting students some 10 years ago? They are still missing or dead.
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The “government” of Laos is not a unified entity. There are numerous ministries, the National Assembly and thousands of local components of government. Even policies of the police are fragmented and rarely show uniformity. Above and powerful within the “government” is the Party. To say that the “government” knows exactly what happened to Sombath is an incredible absurd statement.
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Maybe it would have been more appropriate to have written that some in the government know what happened to Sombath. I agree that not everyone knows, but I don’t imagine that anyone thought that everyone knew in the first place.
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Yes, in 1999 a number of Lao students tried to organize a protest, in order to ask for democratic reforms in the country. Five of the students escaped to Thailand. Later the USA accepted them as political refugees. They are still there. Some of the students were also arrested in Laos. They are believed to still be imprisoned up to now.
However, the situation with Sombath Somphone is different. He was not calling for democratic political reforms in Laos. He was just trying to make Laos a better place to live, without calling for changes in political structures that exist in the country.
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A petition has been created on Avaaz asking for Sombath Somphone to be freed.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Free_Sombath_Somphone/?fnsxOdb&pv=0
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STATEMENT BY THE SPOKESPERSON OF EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE CATHERINE ASHTON ON THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SOMBATH SOMPHONE IN LAOS
http://www.consilium.europa.eu//uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/134538.pdf
EUROPEAN UNION
Brussels, 21 December 2012
A 586/12
The spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, issued the following statement today:
“The High Representative would like to express her deep concern over the disappearance of Sombath Somphone in Vientiane on 15 December. Sombath Somphone is a well-respected member of Lao civil society, a recipient of the Magsaysay prize and the successful co-organiser of the Asia-
Europe People-to-People Forum that took place in Vientiane ahead of the ASEM9 Summit last month.
The EU supports and encourages the Lao authorities in their efforts to investigate this case with the aim of ensuring the return of Sombath Somphone to his family.”
———————————————
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Pressure-mounts-on-Vientiane-to-find-missing-activ-30196555.html
LAOS
“PRESSURE MOUNTS ON VIENTIANE TO FIND MISSING ACTIVIST”
by Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation (Thailand), December 21, 2012
The international community yesterday piled pressure on authorities in Vientiane to take responsibility for the disappearance of Magsaysay Award-winner Sombath Somphone as Laos’ foreign ministry seemed to distance itself by saying he was kidnapped for a personal conflict from a police outpost in Vientiane on Saturday.
“At this stage the authorities are not in a position to say exactly what has actually happened, why Sombath has gone missing or who might have been involved in the incident,” the ministry said in describing a video provided by Sombath’s wife Ng Shui Meng showing that he was taken away by a pickup truck after being stopped by police at an outpost on his way back home.
The authorities did not say why Lao police failed to protect Sombath from the abductors but vowed to continue investigating the incident and find him.
The closed-circuit television footage from his wife and the initial investigation indicated that the Lao activist was snatched because of a personal or business conflict or for some other reason, according to a ministry statement.
A group of activists and human rights defenders in Thailand have called international attention to the incident over the past two to three days. They, together with Ng Shui Meng, sent appeals to authorities in Vientiane asking them to ensure his safety.
Thailand’s Magsaysay Award-winner Jon Ungphakorn said 31 Ramon Magsaysay Award recipients have endorsed a letter to various authorities in Laos expressing extreme concern about the safety and well-being of Sombath, who won the prize in 2005.
Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the Lao government needs to immediately reveal Sombath’s location and release him.
“Lao authorities should come clean on the enforced disappearance of this prominent social leader and take steps to stem the deepening climate of fear his disappearance has caused,” he said.
Sombath’s wife said she was driving home with him in two vehicles. Sombath followed Shui Meng’s car in his Jeep on Saturday evening. His jeep was still behind her car at about 6pm near the police post on Thadeua Road. Soon after that she did not see him anymore, she said, adding that she went out to look for him that night.
His family reported him missing to local authorities on Sunday and went to the Vientiane Police Station on Monday asking to review the CCTV footage taken around 6pm.
“We did see my husband stopped by police at the Thadeua police post at 6:03pm. Then we saw him getting out of the jeep and being taken into the police post. Later we saw a motorcyclist who stopped at the police post and drove off with my husband’s jeep leaving his motorcycle by the roadside.
“Later another truck with flashing lights came and stopped at the police post and we saw two people taking my husband into the vehicle and driving off.”
Shui Meng wrote to many agencies outlining what she saw in the CCTV footage.
“It is now nearly four days since the disappearance of my husband and I have yet to hear anything of his whereabouts,” she said.
“I appeal to the government of the Lao PDR to please investigate my husband’s disappearance as soon as possible, release information of his whereabouts and ensure his safety.”
The statement from the Lao foreign ministry said almost the same as the video but did not indicate a serious commitment to ensuring his safety.
“In this connection, the authorities concerned are currently and seriously investigating the incident in order to find out the truth and the whereabouts of Sombath,” the statement said.
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United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Press briefing notes on Democratic Republic of the Congo, Hissène Habré and Laos
Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Rupert Colville
Location: Geneva
Date: 21 December 2012
3) Laos
We are concerned by what appears to be the enforced disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone, a prominent human rights defender in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. We are highly concerned for his safety and believe that his abduction may be related to his human rights work.
Mr Somphone was last seen at about 6pm on 15 December 2012 on his way home. Security camera footage reportedly shows that he was stopped at the police post on Thadeua Road in Vientiane, the capital, and was then driven away in a car by men in civilian clothes. His family has been unable to locate him since then, despite repeated calls to the authorities and searches in the local area.
Mr. Somphone is the former director of the Participatory Development Training Centre, an NGO he founded in 1996 to promote education, training and sustainable development. In 2005, he won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, which is one of Asia’s top civil awards, for his work in poverty reduction and sustainable development.
We welcome the Government’s recent statement that a serious investigation is underway, and urge the authorities to do everything possible to ensure that Mr. Somphone is found safe and unharmed.
ENDS
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=12906&LangID=E
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“Disappearance and expulsion send chills through Laos”
Straits Times (Singapore)
Dec 29, 2012
By Nirmal Ghosh Indochina Bureau Chief
THE sudden disappearance of social activist Sombath Somphone has set Laos on edge.
Rumours abound that he has been spotted alive. Perhaps he will call. Perhaps there is some explanation, however outrageous, for his disappearance on the evening of Dec 15.
The mysterious disappearance of the 62-year-old social activist and winner of one of Asia’s most prestigious international awards, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, is inevitably being paired with the expulsion eight days earlier of Ms Anne-Sophie Gindroz, the head in Laos of Swiss development agency Helvetas.
On Dec 7, Ms Gindroz was given 48 hours to leave, after she wrote a letter – scathingly critical of the Lao government – to development partners.
Taken together, the two incidents shine an unaccustomed light on Laos, a country too often seen only through the prism of tourists as a laid-back pastoral backwater of tropical Asia.
Ms Gindroz is no naive neophyte; she had worked in Mali, and in Suharto-era Indonesia. Her expulsion was a shock to the international non-governmental organisation (INGO) community, which has a prominent place in a Laos that is struggling to lift itself out of least developed country status and only just joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
But two foreign professionals working in development in Laos told The Straits Times that her letter had appeared deliberately provocative, to the point of inviting expulsion.
The letter, penned after Helvetas was not invited to the government-hosted annual Round Table Implementation Meeting of Non-Profit Associations last month, was titled “Personal Letter to Development Partners”, but carried the Helvetas letterhead – and immediately became public.
Ms Gindroz wrote: “We are working in a challenging environment: This is a country governed by a single-party regime, where there is little space for meaningful democratic debate and when taking advantage of that limited space, repercussions often follow.
“Although allowable under the Lao Constitution, real freedom of expression and assembly are not afforded, and those who wish to exercise their constitutional rights and dare to try, often do so at their own peril faced with intimidation, false accusations and increasingly unlawful arrest. The media is censored and people are forbidden to hold peaceful assembly/ demonstration. Even in (Myanmar), this is no longer the case.”
The two-page letter went on to sketch a dilemma for civil society organisations in Laos.
“We have to make choices: to continue to do what we are expected to do and say only what pleases the government; or we can show solidarity with those acting and calling for more inclusive dialogue and stronger promotion, respect and protection of basic rights.
“We as partners in development can either choose as an objective to maintain good relations and comfortable partnerships with governmental partners; or make use of these to achieve other objectives. This might lead to uneasy discussions and uncomfortable relationships. But this might translate into significant contribution in promoting people’s participation through a more enabling environment and better guarantees of basic rights.”
Development professionals familiar with Laos said the missive was accurate. “Certainly, everyone in Laos self-censors. That’s how everyone lives,” said one foreign professional who worked in Laos for two decades. “She defied the unwritten code of no criticism at all.”
In its letter to Helvetas, the Lao government called Ms Gindroz “unconstructive” and said her letter had “demonstrated her explicit rejection” of Laos’ Constitution and law, particularly its political system. It added that she had called on development partners and others not to side with the Lao government.
The letter then outlined a string of measures taken by the government, including “ratification of most United Nations core human rights treaties”.
Laos was given membership status in the WTO in October, a key step in bringing it in sync with the rest of Asean and integrating it into the global economic system.
The dissonance between such progress and Ms Gindroz’s expulsion and the disappearance of Mr Sombath is apparent.
On Monday, Mr Saritdet Marukatat, a Bangkok Post editor, wrote: “This year was supposed to have been a year to remember for Laos. Vientiane and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party showed the world that their country could easily handle big international events. It hosted the Asia-Europe summit… the biggest ever in its history.
“Everything seems to confirm the gradual opening of a country once extremely cautious about outside influence on the back of fears of endangering the firm grip of the ruling communist party.”
But the feel-good mood of Lao watchers turned sour when Mr Sombath disappeared, he wrote. And while the expulsion of Ms Gindroz and the disappearance of Mr Sombath “might not be connected… it signals new concerns about Laos’ tolerance of critics”.
In 2007, Mr Sompawn Khantisouk, owner and manager of an eco-tourism lodge, vanished. Many thought his disappearance was because he had tried to mobilise local opinion against Chinese plantation investments. He has not been seen since.
Observers in Laos say it is no coincidence that the expulsion of Ms Gindroz and the disappearance of Mr Sombath came after the Asia-Europe People’s Forum, held in October in conjunction with the Asia-Europe summit in Vientiane. Mr Sombath had helped organise the forum, and Ms Gindroz also participated.
At that forum, happy villagers were trotted out by government departments, to counter the effect of unhappy villagers produced by civil society organisations.
The two cases have sent a chill through civil society organisations in Laos.
Associate Professor Pavin Chachavalpongpun, from Kyoto University’s Centre for South- east Asian Studies, said in an e-mail: “Laos has arrived at the most difficult dilemma. On the one hand, the country is in need of being integrated with the regional economy.
“On the other hand, opening up the country and embracing imported foreign ideas, including the emerging role of INGOs, has been viewed with caution and indeed suspicion. The political elite is not ready to push for certain political reforms.
“As much as Laos wants to be modernised, its political outlook has been trapped in the Cold War. The lack of political legitimacy has compelled Laos’ leaders to use harsh measures against critics.”
[email protected]
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This article is interesting but I see that there are some points that perhaps could do with further clarification.
Firstly the article states “At that forum, happy villagers were trotted out by government departments, to counter the effect of unhappy villagers produced by civil society organisations.”
I attended the AEPF meeting and from what I saw there were no “happy villagers” being trotted out, rather government officials were pretending to be villagers speaking at the meeting. The 15 minute monologue is a dead give away, especially when the speaker is told repeatedly to sit down by the moderator and completely ignores the request.
Secondly the author hasn’t seemed to put together the most obvious link between Ms Gindroz, and Mr Sombath, that being that they were both on the National Organising Committee of the AEPF. Coincidence? I think not!
Lastly I do have to wonder if giving villagers rights over their traditional lands is really a “foreign idea” as above commentator puts it? Foreign to the LPRP perhaps, but not necessarily ‘foreign’.
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….”I’m Sombath Somphone” !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8h_v_our_Q
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.. no, I’m Sombath Somphone…
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… no, I’m Sombath Somphone.
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I’m Sombath Somphone.
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So, you absconded to Thailand also?
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A new website has been developed to call attention to the abduction of Sombath Somphone, “one of the most
respected and influential voices for sustainable people-centred and just economic and social development in Laos.”
http://sombath.org
“Sombath Somphone was last seen in Vientiane on the evening of Saturday 15th December when he was driving home in his jeep. His family and friends immediately contacted the police, visited hospitals, and informed Embassies, but nobody knew where Sombath had gone.
Two days later, CCTV footage became available that showed Sombath being stopped by police and then abducted. The video can be seen here.
Sombath is a friend, colleague and a visionary who has spent his life working for his people and country. This website hopes to facilitate his return to his family and work.”
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“Govt clarifies disappearance of Mr Sombath Somphone”
Vientiane Times
Jan 4, 2013
http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/FreeContent/FreeConten_Govt_clarifies.htm
The Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Lao PDR to the UN in Geneva, Yong Chanthalangsy, on Thursday sent a letter clarifying the issue of the disappearance of Mr Sombath Somphone in response to the queries raised by the UN Special Procedures.
The content of the letter is as follows: As a Member of the United Nations, Laos has always cooperated with the international community, particularly in the promotion and protection of human rights, which is reflected in the country’s implementation of its international obligations and commitments on human rights with achievements being progressively made. Laos is State party to 7 core UN Human Rights Conventions and 2 Optional Protocols. In addition, Laos is also a signatory to the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Being the fourth nation in Asia to sign this important Convention Laos is currently in the process of preparations for its ratification. In the implementation of its human rights obligations and commitments the Lao PDR has the Constitution and laws which are in conformity with the treaties to which the Lao PDR is party. Furthermore, Laos has adopted the Legal Sector Master Plan on the Rule of Law by 2020 in order to create enabling conditions for the Lao people to fully enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The Lao government is deeply concerned about the disappearance of Mr Sombath Somphone and attaches importance to the investigations underway in order to find out the truth of this incident. According to the information from the authorities concerned which was based on the CCTV footage, on the day of the incident, the traffic police were conducting their routine random checks on vehicles at the police post on Thadeua Road in the vicinity of Vatnak village in Sisattanak district, Vientiane. At 6pm the traffic police stopped Mr Sombath’s jeep in order to check his driving licence and car documents as normal procedures.
Being stopped, Mr Sombath walked out from his car to present his documents to the police. Contrary to the information the UN Special Procedures received, Mr Sombath was not taken by the police to the police post. After the police checked the documents they returned them to Mr Sombath and continued their duty of checking other vehicles.
Then, a man came on a motorbike, parked it on the side road near Mr Sombath’s jeep and moved quickly in the police post direction. Later, the same person walked to Mr Sombath’s car and drove it away slowly.
About 10 minutes later, a pickup truck came with hazard lights flashing and stopped near the police post. One man entered the pickup truck and shortly after that another person got on, then got off and then entered the pickup truck again as the vehicle was driving away to an unknown destination.
From the CCTV footage it cannot be confirmed that it was Mr Sombath who entered the pickup truck. The two persons who got into the truck were not forced to do so. This fact is different from the information the UN Special Procedures received which alleged that Mr Sombath was forced to get into the pickup truck.
Following the preliminary assessment of the incident from the CCTV footage, the authorities concerned viewed that it may be possible Mr Sombath has been kidnapped perhaps because of a personal conflict or a conflict in business or some other reasons and at this stage the authorities are not in a position to say exactly what has actually happened, why Mr Sombath has gone missing and who might have been involved in the incident
On this incident, the concerned authority as the law protection agency that protects and maintains social order has the legal duty to find out the truth in order to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure justice to Mr Sombath and his family according to the law.
Based on their legal duty, the concerned authority is accelerating the investigations, collecting evidence in order to reach a conclusion of the incident.
By Times Reporters
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CCTV footage of Sombath’s disappearance/abduction is available here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSZzzk3Ay1M
I have heard that the CCTV cameras around Vientiane were apparently set up with the support of the Chinese government, for promoting security during the 2009 ASEAN Games.
Security camera footage can sometimes be used in unexpected ways, and capture events not intended for public knowledge.
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Open Letter: Request for AICHR to ensure the safety and wellbeing of disappeared development worker, Mr. Sombath Somphone
Friday, 04 January 2013
http://www.forum-asia.org/?p=15722&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=open-letter-request-for-aichr-to-ensure-the-safety-and-wellbeing-of-disappeared-development-worker-mr-sombath-somphone
Thematics: Enforced Disappearances,Human rights & AICHR, Human Rights Defenders
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a regional human rights organization representing 47 non-governmental organizations across 16 countries in Asia, writes to you to express gravest concern on the disappearance of a prominent education and development worker in Laos, Mr. Sombath Somphone. He has been missing since 15 December 2012 and to this date, there has been little information regarding his safety or whereabouts. His wife, Ng Shui-Meng, last saw him at about 6.00pm that same day as they drove home separately from the office.
Sombath is the founder and retired director of the Participatory Development Training Centre (PADETC) in Laos, which promotes sustainable development. He is a highly respected educator who as a result of his work, received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, one of Asia’s top civil awards, in 2005. He was also an instrumental figure as a co-organizer of the highly-successful Asia-Europe People’s Forum 9 (AEPF 9), held prior to the 9th Asia-Europe Summit Meeting (ASEM) in Vientiane, Laos last October 2012.
Available CCTV footage shows Sombath’s vehicle was stopped on KM3 Thadeua Road in the vicinity of Watnak village, Sisattanak District, Vientiane on 15 December 2012. He was then seen entering the police post. Following which, his vehicle was taken away by an unidentified man who arrived on a motorcycle. The motorcycle remained parked there while the man drove Sombath’s vehicle away. A white pick-up truck then arrived later flashing hazard lights at the police post. The footage showed that Sombath was escorted by two men who had arrived in the white truck and led him into the truck. He has since not been seen and we are deeply worried about his safety, physical and mental health and overall well-being.
There are many questions surrounding the troubling circumstances of his disappearance. For example, it is not known why Sombath was allowed to leave with the unidentified men in the white truck or why the police did not take any action regarding the alleged “kidnap” as highlighted in the government’s official statement on 19 December 2012.
In view of the urgency for the protection of the physical and mental wellbeing of Mr. Sombath Somphone, we urgently request the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), as the overarching body responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN, to communicate with the Lao authorities immediately to expedite the investigation of the case, to find out the whereabouts of Mr. Sombath Somphone and to ensure the safe return of Sombath to his wife and family.
FORUM-ASIA is committed to assist and cooperate with the AICHR in this case. If you require more information on the case, please kindly contact Joses Kuan at tel: (66) 83544 5166 or email: [email protected].
We thank you for your kind attention and hope to receive a positive response from you.
Yours truly,
Sayeed Ahmad
Country Program Manager
To:
H.E. Pehin Dato Dr. Awang Hj. Ahmad bin Hj. Jumat
Chairperson
ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR)
Jalan Subok, Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Darussalam BD 2710
Tel: (673) 226 1177, 226 1291-5
Fax: (673) 226 1709, 2904
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
CC:
1. H.E. Le Loung Minh, Secretary-General of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
2. H.E. Om Yentieng, Representative of Cambodia to AICHR
3. H.E. Mr. Rafendi Djamin, Representative of Indonesia to AICHR
4. H.E. Mr. Bounkeut Sangsomsak, Representative of Laos to AICHR
5. H.E. Dato’ Sri Dr. Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Representative of Malaysia to AICHR
6. H.E. Amb. Kyaw Tint Swe, Representative of Myanmar to AICHR
7. H.E. Amb. Rosario Gonzales Manalo, Representative of the Philippines to AICHR
8. H.E. Amb. Chan Heng Chee, Representative of Singapore to AICHR
9. H.E. Mr. Seree Nonthasoot, Representative of Thailand to AICHR
10.H.E. Amb. Nguyen Duy Hung, Representative of Vietnam to AICHR
11.Ms. Leena Ghosh, Assistant Director, AIPA, ASEAN Foundation, AICHR and Other ASEAN Associated Entities Division, ASEAN Secretariat
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“Lao activist still missing three weeks on”
4 January 2013
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2013-01-04/lao-activist-still-missing-three-weeks-on/1069920
Mystery surrounds the disappearance of high profile Lao activist Sombath Somphone, almost three weeks after he was last seen.
Mystery surrounds the disappearance of high profile Lao activist Sombath Somphone, almost three weeks after he was last seen.
Mr Sombath’s wife, Ng Shui Meng, says police have not contacted her about the case for over a week.
Audio: Missing Lao activist’s wife speaks out (ABC News)
“The CCTV footage shows that he was last stopped at the police post [in the capital Vientiane], that his jeep was driven away by a known person right at the police post and he was taken away in a truck which stopped at a police post,” Ms Ng told Radio Australia.
The government has denied any involvement, hinting at a possible business or personal conflict as the reason for his disappearance.
Mr Sombath is well known in the region, and received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2005 for his work in community leadership.
He has been involved in a number of environmental and land rights causes but his wife denies he is a dissident.
“I don’t know whether such work would upset any vested interests, but from my own understanding his work has never been provocative.”
Ms Ng says she does not know if her husband is in police custody.
“I only believe what I’ve seen on the CCTV footage, and if the government says it does not have him in custody, I have nothing to counter that either.”
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“My husband is not a headline, he is a person. I hope that he will not slip away, and be forgotten.”
– Ng Shui Meng, Wife of Sombath Somphone
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Abduction of Sombat Somphone has aid workers ‘terrified’
South China Morning Post
by Tom Fawthrop
January 2, 2013
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1117767/abduction-sombat-somphone-has-aid-workers-terrified
The abduction in Laos of one of Asia’s most respected activists has sent a wave of fear through the aid-worker community, forcing some to flee the country.
Laotian national Sombat Somphone is still missing more than two weeks after apparently being detained at a police check point in the capital, Vientiane.
Video footage obtained by Ng Shui Meng, Sombat’s Singaporean wife, showed the abduction was a highly co-ordinated job. First traffic police stopped him, ostensibly to check his documents. Soon after, he was taken to a jeep with flashing lights and driven away.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ only response has been to speculate that “business conflicts” could be behind the disappearance. Colleagues have rejected this argument, pointing out he had no business interests or personal enemies.
At least one analyst has linked the disappearance to Sombat’s role in conducting a recent nationwide survey of attitudes towards governance.
Sombat, the quietly spoken founder of the non-profit Participatory Development Training Centre, was a pioneer of participatory development and supporting the enforcement of land rights for poor farmers. He was also featured in the BBC TV documentary about the environment and development in Laos.
He is a past winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, named after a former Philippine president, but is not considered a political dissident among his peers.
Sombat’s disappearance follows the sudden expulsion of the country director of Swiss non-governmental organisation Helvetas, Anne-Sophie Gindroz, in early December. She was ordered to leave after being accused of “taking up a position of anti-governmental propaganda”, Helvetas said.
Several Lao and foreign non-government organisation workers have left in fear during the past two weeks.
[The Sombat case] smacks of sending a very strong message to an increasingly restive nation,” a foreign observer said. “Taking the highest profile man in Laos is the best way of subduing people. It worked. Now everyone is terrified.”
Although Laos is still tightly controlled by the ruling communist party, last year will be remembered for this small poverty-stricken nation’s entry into the WTO and its hosting of its first major summit, the Asia-Europe Meeting, in November, which was seen as a coming-out party for Laos.
“Laos has been opening itself up economically. This has created an illusion of Laos being more liberal,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, as South East Asia specialist at Kyoto University.
“In reality, in terms of freedom of expression, there is no room for critics.”
Sombat had a prominent role in conducting a nationwide survey of public sentiment, ahead of an NGO summit that ran in parallel to the Asia-Europe meeting.
The survey, conducted in all 16 provinces with the co-operation of the UN Development Programme, was considered ground-breaking in Laos and was endorsed by some ministries and party cadres.
It concluded the Lao people wanted good governance from their leaders, and more consultation about development projects.
“The people have spoken. We encourage the government to make a substantive response, so that this becomes a true national dialogue on common development concerns and interests as Laos moves forward,” the survey said.
Dr Pavin suggested that Sombat’s disappearance may be linked to his pivotal role in the survey.
“The only message to civil society is that freedom of expression is limited, and that self-censorship is a preferred method, when it comes to debating about any government’s policies,” he said.
“Instead of fixing the lack of accountability, the government has chosen to intimidate.”
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“Sombath was interviewed in September 2008 in Vientiane for TVEAP’s Saving the Planet Asian regional TV series, and excerpts appeared in the Lao story (It’s Alive!) that featured PADETC’s efforts to transform Lao education.
By releasing the full interview online, TVEAP salutes the soft-spoken visionary who sought viable development alternatives where no one gets left behind.”
http://vimeo.com/56735858
http://www.tveap.org/index.php?q=node/629
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Photos of Sombath Somphone’s community development work in Laos, always conducted in cooperation with Government of Laos partners :
http://sombath.org/2013/01/05/photos-of-sombaths-good-work/
Ng Shui Meng confirms: “My husband is not a dissident”
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Financial Times
“Laos Pressed on Disappearance of Activist”
January 6, 2013
By Gwen Robinson in Bangkok
The UN and some western governments are preparing to put fresh questions to the Lao government over the mysterious disappearance in mid-December of a prominent education and health campaigner, after Vientiane late last week rejected suggestions by the UN of state involvement in the case.
In a statement to the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Laos denied knowledge of the whereabouts of Sombath Somphone, 60, and said he had not been taken into police custody, as widely reported, but rather may have been kidnapped because of a “personal conflict”.
UN human rights officials, as well as US and European governments, have expressed concern in recent weeks that the activist is being held by the Lao authorities.
Closed circuit video footage from police security cameras showed Mr Sombath, founder of a local non-government organisation Padetc, being stopped by traffic police at a roadside post while he was driving home from work in Vientiane, the Lao capital, in mid-December.
Mr Sombath was following his Singaporean wife in a separate car but never arrived home. The government has denied he was taken into custody at the stop, which they said was a “routine” check, but grainy CCTV footage shows a man resembling Mr Sombath being driven away by uniformed Lao officials.
Vientiane-based diplomats at the weekend expressed doubt about official denials of involvement in Mr Sombath’s disappearance and said their embassies were set to convey further concerns about the case. “We are considering the next move, and it could well be a démarche,” said one western diplomat.
The EU and the US have publicly called for explanation. Lady Ashton, EU foreign policy chief, last month expressed “deep concern” about Mr Sombath’s disappearance and urged the Lao government to “investigate” the case. In Washington, Victoria Nuland, state department spokeswoman, said the US had asked the government “to make every effort to locate him and figure out what’s happened”.
UN human rights officials meanwhile have suggested Mr Sombath was detained by the state because of his work. “We are highly concerned for his safety and believe his abduction may be related to his human rights work,” a UN human rights spokesman said in late December, noting “what appeared to be” Mr Sombath’s “enforced disappearance”, a phrase which under international law implicates the government.
Mr Sombath, 60, a winner of the prestigious Magsaysay award in 2005 for social development work, founded Padtec in 1996 to promote education and sustainable development. The organisation was “low-key” and Mr Sombath had not run foul of state authorities, said a western aid official.
His disappearance followed the Lao government’s expulsion a week earlier of Ann-Sophie Grindiz, head of Swiss development agency Helvetas. Diplomats believe the cases are not directly linked but one envoy cited “worrying signs of backsliding in Laos amid international pressures to democratise”.
Both cases appear to undermine the government’s moves to open up the country, after Laos’s accession to the World Trade Organisation in early December.
WTO membership will give Laos increased opportunities to integrate into “regional economic success and attract more foreign investors”, noted Murray Hiebert, an Asia analyst at CSIS, the US think tank. “But with the government’s lack of accounting about the disappearance of someone as prominent as Sombath, foreign investors as well as tourists will be more cautious about jumping into the country with both feet,” he noted.
Mr Hiebert said Mr Sombath was “soft-spoken, easy-going and uninvolved in politics”. His disappearance should raise concerns in Vientiane, he added, “not least because foreign aid accounts for nearly 70 per cent of government’s budget, and 16 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product”.
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It is worth noting the legal definition of the term “enforced disappearance.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_disappearance
“In international human rights law, a forced disappearance (or enforced disappearance) occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the person’s fate and whereabouts, with the intent of placing the victim outside the protection of the law.
According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which came into force on 1 July 2002, when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed at any civilian population, a “forced disappearance” qualifies as a crime against humanity and, thus, is not subject to a statute of limitations.
On 20 December 2006, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
… Disappearing political rivals is also a way for regimes to engender feelings of complicity in populations. That is: the difficulty of publicly fighting a government which murders in secret can result in widespread pretense that everything is normal… “
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Sombat has charisma and he is focusing on “good governance” which is obviously unbearable for some of the Lao politicians.
Having worked for more than 18 years in this country, and having recently seen the unacceptable land grabbing (and wood smuggling) in the South (mostly by the Vietnamese) and the extreme poverty the villagers of this part of the country live in, I think it is time to put as much pressure as possible on the Lao governement.
Enough is enough.
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“Roundtable Discussion: What does Sombath Somphone’s abduction signal to ASEAN?”
9:00 to 12:00 am – Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013
Student Christian Center, Bangkok
Hua Chang Bridge (5 minutes walk from Rachadevi Sky Train station)
Co-organisers:
Center for Peace and Conflict Studies. Chulalongkorn University
NGO Coordination Committee on Development (NGO COD)
ASEAN Watch – Thailand
Thai Working Group on Sombath Somphone
Sombath Somphone – Lao senior development worker, promoter of ‘Gross National Happiness’ concept, the 1995 Ramon Magsaysay awardee – has in a certain way assumed a significant role in the modern age of Laos that attempts to show its readiness for playing an equal role with others in the global community.
Thus the CCTV clip showing his being abducted on 15 December 2012 in downtown Vientiane by a group of men has caused a situation that not only shocks his friends, colleagues and entire civil society in Laos; but those individuals, organizations as well as establishments on every level.
Civil society organizations in ASEAN and international community including the EU, US government and UN agencies have urged Lao government to take urgent investigations and disclose the results.
This round table will address the case of Sombath Somphon’s abduction, which has brought up the urgent need to review particular key, but hidden issues confronted by ASEAN community including human rights and the emergence of new actors amid ASEAN’s economic liberalization that has considerable influence to determine the fate of countries and the people of Mekong basin and perhaps the entire ASEAN.
Also, it will discuss questions related to possible future threats facing individuals and communities of the region, particularly the violation of basic rights of its people that will likely continue to worsen.
The ‘roundtable’ panelists are a combination of academic specialized in ASEAN affairs, NGO activist working on critical issues related to ASEAN, Thailand National Human Rights Commissioner, and eminent Thai human rights advocate who has direct experience Re: enforced disappearance.
Program
9.00 Greeting and introduction of panelists
9:15-9:35 Lead presentation by Professor Surichai Wankeo, Director, of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, Chulalongkorn University
9.-35-9.55 Dr. Niran Pitakvachara, Thailand National Human Rights Commissioner
9:55-10:15 Witoon Lianchamroon, Director, BioThai Foundation
10:15-10:35 Angkana Neelapaijit, Director, Justice for Peace Foundation
10:35 -10:50 Coffee Break.
10:50 -12:00 Open for questions and comments
Note: Earphone translation will be available for foreign participants and journalists throughout the discussion
For more information, please contact: [email protected] or Tel. +66 86 3942113
Find more information about Sombath Somphone, his works and the update information at http://www.sombath.org
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http://sombath.org/2013/01/08/roundtable-discussion-what-does-sombath-somphones-abduction-signal-to-asean/
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“Activists slam Asean’s lack of commitment to human rights”
Bangkok Post
Published: 9/01/2013
The governments of Laos and Thailand were accused of lack of sincerity in implementing the Asean Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) at a roundtable discussion on “What Does Sombath Somphone’s Abduction Signal to Asean?” in Bangkok on Wednesday.
Niran Pitakwatchara, a human rights commissioner, said the Thai government should encourage discussion within the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).
“The region has just adopted the Asean Human Rights Declaration aimed to promote and protect rights of the people. The AICHR has also been working for three years now. Hence the forced disappearance of outstanding human rights defender Sombath in Laos should be of great concern for not only Laos but for Asean as well,” said Dr Niran.
Jon Ungphakorn, a member of the National Human Rights Commission’s subcommittee on civil and political rights, said similar circumstances elsewhere showed that human rights defenders of all forms could be “disappeared” by the powers-that-be as a signal to the people that challenging the rigid tenets of society would not be allowed.
“The Sombath and Somchai (Neelapaijit) cases are the same. I strongly believe the Lao government and/or Lao Communist Party high-ranking officials have something to do with Sombath’s disappearance,” said Mr Jon, a former Bangkok senator and a Ramon Magsaysay laureate.
Sombath’s disappearance was even more startling as there was a fledgling civil society in Laos.
“Sombath’s disappearance is intended to suppress or threaten the emergence of civil society in that country,” he said.
Mr Jon called for the dismantling of the principle of non-interference, held to like a mantra by member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
“The practice of non-intervention should be abolished, at least on the issues of the human rights of the Asean people, as it is does not concern issues within borders, but of a community which proclaims to be caring and sharing,” said Mr Jon at the seminar at the Student Christian Centre.
Mr Jon and 51 other Magsaysay laureates have sent a letter of appeal to Vientiane, together with other regional and international civil societies. The move prompted the United Nations in Geneva to express concern that the Lao activist, Sombath, may be the victim of an “enforced disappearance” by the authorities.
Sombath, 60, who had been honoured for his work to reduce poverty and promote education in Laos through a training centre he founded, has been missing since Dec 15 last year when he left his office in Vientiane to drive home to his wife, and never arrived.
Police closed-circuit camera footage from that night, which relatives have posted online, shows him being stopped by traffic police.
However, Vientiane’s ambassador Geneva, Yong Chanthalangsy, told UN Special Procedures officials – independent investigators assigned by the UN Human Rights Council – that they had been misinformed about the case and that traffic police had not taken Sombath into custody during the stop.
Pablo Solon, whose brother was among the large number of people in Laos who disappeared during the 1980s, said Asean people must not accept such weak explanations by the Lao officials.
“The state authorities are obliged to give an explanation – who were the traffic police involved and why did they stop the Lao activist. The state security in that country must be held responsible for this obvious abduction,” said Mr Solon, executive director of the Bangkok-based Focus on the Global South.
Surichai Wun’Gaeo, Chulalongkorn University’s director of Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, said Sombath was a modest and accommodative activist who raised for debate certain core issues about balancing economic development, as Laos was eagerly heading towards urbanisation and modernisation based on the “Battery of Asia” concept.
“The case of Mr Sombath is not only a tragedy and a shock for the Asean region but also the world, as he is part of tiny genre of people who are challenging the current socio-economic paradigm.
“He is a soft but determined scholar and activist trying to work towards the peace and harmony of the people and nature,” said Mr Surichai.
His disappearance should be a wake up call for Asean that focusing on quick business returns through a single market without ensuring a sustainable environment, traditional wisdom and human dignity, was inadequate, he said.
Mr Surichai called for Asean policy makers to accommodate and tolerate civil society individuals and organisations who work towards ensuring greater policy space for such a debate.
Witoon Lianchamroon, Bio Thai Foundation director, said Sombath was a charming activist model for Thailand as he was not aggressive, but humbly engaged his colleagues and the authorities.
The October forum of activists from Asean and Europe in Laos, for which Sombath was instrumental in mobilising debates around the nation, might be one of the reasons for Sombath’s disappearance, said Mr Witoon.
Sombath’s two main concepts – focusing on community-based policy formulation and the balancing of spiritual- and religion-based happiness with the country’s development might have been seen as a challenge.
Angkhana Neelapaijit, director of the Justice for Peace Foundation, said unless enforced disappearance was stipulated as a crime, the region was only makeing an empty boast in claiming to be modernising as a human rights-caring community.
“The cases of Sombath and my husband (Somchai) are similar, a threatening signal to those defending and fighting for the rights of others.
“Authorities in these two countries, which have ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, should be ashamed of what they have proclaimed,” said Mrs Angkhana.
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“Gone missing”
The Economist
Jan 8th 2013, by T.F. | PHNOM PENH
THE government of Laos had been exuding a bluff, self-congratulatory air towards the end of 2012–having won admission to the WTO in October and then playing host to the Asia-Europe summit in November–until suddenly a foul wind blew through, mid-December. The country’s most distinguished leader of an NGO was grabbed at a police checkpoint in the capital, Vientiane, and has not been seen since. (continued…..)
http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2013/01/civil-society-laos
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Wall Street Journal
OPINION ASIA
January 8, 2013, 11:44 a.m. ET
“Is Laos Losing Its Way?”
The disappearance of a community leader threatens Vientiane’s recent progress.
By MURRAY HIEBERT
The year 2012 marked a coming of age for tiny landlocked Laos. In July Hillary Clinton became the first U.S. secretary of state since the 1950s to visit the country. The World Trade Organization formally voted in October to allow Laos into the trade grouping after years of negotiations. In early November, Laos’s capital Vientiane hosted the Asia-Europe Meeting, which was attended by dozens of world leaders and senior officials, including the prime minister of China and the president of the European Council. Laos’ estimated economic growth of 8.3% last year likely made it Southeast Asia’s top economic performer.
But all this good news is dissipating like mist on the Mekong because of the country’s suspicious response to the disappearance of an internationally recognized development leader. On Dec. 15, Sombath Somphone was driving on the outskirts of Vientiane when he was stopped in his Jeep by police and then transferred by non-uniformed men into another vehicle, as photo and video evidence from that day shows. No one has seen him since.
The Laos government has said it has no idea what happened to Mr. Sombath. Its official news agency speculated that his disappearance may have been prompted by a business or personal dispute. But diplomatic sources in Vientiane who have seen the footage of Mr. Sombath’s roadside confrontation are convinced that he was taken and is being held by Laos’s security apparatus.
For a country that relies on foreign assistance for roughly 70% of its budget, the agronomist’s disappearance–and the government’s subsequent unwillingness to forthrightly address it–has become a major headache. Few in Laos have built bridges between the foreign and local development communities as effectively as Sombath Somphone.
The oldest of eight siblings, he grew up in a poor rice farming family in southern Laos at the height of the Vietnam War. In the early 1970s, he received a scholarship to study education and agriculture at the University of Hawaii.
I first met Mr. Sombath after he graduated in the late 1970s. I had worked in Laos with a small development agency from 1975, when communist forces seized control of the government, until early 1978. Mr. Sombath wanted to know whether he should return home to use his skills to aid the country’s subsistence farmers. Many of his friends warned him not to go back, arguing that the new communist leaders would not tolerate a U.S.-educated agronomist working directly with Lao farmers.
Because of his gentle and soft-spoken personality, and his non-political view of recent developments in Laos, I and others encouraged Mr. Sombath to help his country increase rice production. Mr. Sombath returned to Laos in 1979.
In 1996, he received authorization from Laos’ education ministry to establish a center that provides community-based development training to young people and local officials. In recognition of his work, Mr. Sombath in 2005 was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, one of Asia’s most prestigious awards for community service.
It is unclear why the country’s security apparatus would have abducted Mr. Sombath. Some observers speculate that it was due to his high profile at the Asia-Europe People’s Forum, held this fall. Mr. Sombath helped organize the event with the Foreign Ministry on the sidelines of the larger Asia-Europe Meeting, which was by far the largest international event ever hosted by Laos.
At a time when the world’s eyes were on the country, some of the speakers at the people’s forum raised concerns about environmental degradation and illicit land acquisition–two common problems stemming from no-holds-barred economic development in Laos and neighboring countries.
Some believe that Lao security officials detained Mr. Sombath to send a warning to others in the development community not to challenge the government and its economic agenda.
Eight days before Mr. Sombath’s abduction, the Lao government expelled the head of the Swiss NGO Helvetas for allegedly criticizing the government.
Laos appears caught in a dilemma that also troubled some of its other authoritarian neighbors like Vietnam and China. On one hand, the country wants to benefit from the rapid economic development sweeping Southeast Asia. On the other, government officials who took power at the height of the Cold War are wary about calls for increased political and economic openness.
Laos has recently sought to project a warmer, more business-friendly image in order to attract tourists and woo foreign investors beyond Chinese and Vietnamese mining and logging companies. The government should not undercut the country’s potential by mishandling Mr. Sombath’s case. Foreign governments should press the authorities to immediately investigate and be more forthcoming about the agronomist’s whereabouts.
After reaching milestone after milestone in 2012, Laos is now at a crossroads. Unless Sombath Somphone is released soon, the Lao government should expect that his disappearance will damage the image of progress it has worked so hard to promote among donor agencies, foreign companies and tourists.
Mr. Hiebert is deputy director of the Chair for Southeast Asian Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.
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It is important to point out that the video of Sombath’s abduction was recorded by a person who was searching for Sombath, by holding a mobile phone up to a CCTV monitor. This is why it zooms in and out a bit. The recording was done in the day or two immediately after his disappearance, presumably before the footage could be secured or destroyed by the persons or organizations who were behind the abduction.
So the CCTV footage of the police checkpoint that appears on youtube was not released by the Lao government. It was recorded by people looking for Sombath.
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“With Laos Disappearance, Signs of a Liberalization in Backslide”
New York Times
By THOMAS FULLER
Published: January 10, 2013
VIENTIANE, Laos – He was last seen driving home in his old, rusty jeep. And then he vanished.
The disappearance nearly one month ago of Sombath Somphone, a United States-trained agriculture specialist who led one of the most successful nonprofit organizations in Laos, has baffled his family and friends and raised alarms that a nascent liberalization of the Communist-ruled country could be sliding backward.
Mr. Sombath, 60, who won many awards for his public service, was known to be nonconfrontational and adept at forging compromises with the authoritarian government of Laos.
“We have no malice against the government,” said Ng Shui Meng, Mr. Sombath’s wife, who is from Singapore and met Mr. Sombath while they both studied in the United States. “We want to live our lives quietly.”
The disappearance has set off an enormous campaign by Mr. Sombath’s large network of friends and aid workers across Southeast Asia who know him from his development work. The campaign has put Laos, an obscure country run by an opaque Communist party, under increasing pressure to provide answers.
The country has taken halting steps to modernize its one-party system in recent years but has also cracked down on dissent, and its security services have been linked to a series of politically motivated assassinations in neighboring Thailand.
Paradoxically for the Lao government, it is a network of cameras that the municipal police installed over the past three years to monitor “anti-social behavior” that have pointed to signs of the government’s involvement in Mr. Sombath’s disappearance.
Helpful workers at a local police station initially showed the family images of Mr. Sombath’s jeep stopped at a police checkpoint on the evening of Dec. 15. Mr. Sombath then appeared to be driven off in a white vehicle.
Family members had the presence of mind to record the footage with their own digital devices – crucial because the government now refuses to let them view the video again despite pleas by diplomats who would like to analyze it for clues like license plates. (The video is now circulating on YouTube and is also available at sombath.org, a site put up by Mr. Sombath’s friends and dedicated to tracing his whereabouts).
Since the search for Mr. Sombath began, the Lao government has issued only short statements that suggest, without offering details, that he may have been involved in a personal dispute. But those following the case closely remain unconvinced.
“The bottom line is that we haven’t heard anything beyond a brief statement that doesn’t clarify anything,” Karen B. Stewart, the U.S. ambassador to Laos, said in an interview. “There’s been no full report about the status of the investigation or whatever is going on.”
A mountainous and landlocked country of six million, Laos is often portrayed in guidebooks and tourist brochures as a gentle land of stilt houses along the Mekong River, smiling and easygoing rice farmers, Buddhist monks and village silk weavers.
But the contrast to these placid images is a Communist party, formally called the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, that crushes anything deemed to be a threat to its monopoly on power.
“There’s a nostalgic picture of women in their wraparound skirts, a beautiful country with tourist attractions,” said Adisorn Semyaem, an expert on Laos at the Mekong Studies Center at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. “That’s not the total picture. There’s also another side of the coin.”
A precise accounting of repression in Laos in difficult to obtain because the news media are controlled by the government and communication is poor across the impoverished countryside. But one measure of politically related violence can be found when it spills over into the country’s freewheeling neighbor, Thailand, where it is recorded by the police and reported in the news media.
Mr. Adisorn, who has researched Lao politics for the past two decades, has compiled a list of more than 20 Lao citizens assassinated in Thailand over what appear to be political reasons, including a Buddhist monk who opposed the government and a member of the former Lao royal family. The crimes all remain unresolved.
Inside Laos, the government periodically arrests members of Protestant Christian religious groups, farmers who complain that their land had been taken away and anyone else whom they judge to “have political agendas,” Mr. Adisorn said.
Mr. Adisorn has an extensive network of contacts inside the Lao government and has been asking about Mr. Sombath’s case. “I assume that he is still alive but that the government is finding it very difficult to find a way out of the situation,” he said.
An official who answered the telephone at the Lao Foreign Ministry advised a reporter to monitor the Lao press for updates on the case and said a spokesperson was not available.
There is a troubling precedent for a politically linked disappearance. In 2007, Sompawn Khantisouk, the manager of an ecotourism guesthouse who was outspoken in his criticism of Chinese-owned plantations in the north of the country, disappeared and has not been seen since.
If Laos has avoided the same level of scrutiny of other authoritarian countries in the region, it is partly because the political oppression is hardly visible to outsiders when they visit. The center of Vientiane has lively, outdoor restaurants and countless small hotels and tourist shops.
The country received a record 3.1 million foreign visitors last year – equivalent to half the population – according to the government, which promoted 2012 as Visit Laos Year under the slogan “Simply Beautiful.”
Tourists come for the mountain scenery, spicy Lao food, the charms of towns like Luang Prabang and the cultural legacies of the French colonial years – ocher buildings and nearly tax-free French wine.
But as the country opens up and embraces capitalism more vigorously, there are tensions between the old and new Laos, between a more transparent government and the more cloistered system that fought off U.S.-backed militias during what is known as the Secret War of the 1960s and 1970s.
“There’s not total, 100 percent agreement or understanding about how to manage a market economy, a more globally oriented rule-of-law state and yet maintain the kind of political system they have,” said Ms. Stewart, the U.S. ambassador.
The country’s National Assembly has taken a more assertive role in debating government policies that were previously dictated by the top leaders. Last year, Laos completed negotiations to join the World Trade Organization and was the host of a major meeting between the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the grouping of 10 countries in which Laos is seeking a more active role.
At the same time, the Lao government cracked down on budding signs of free expression. In January 2012, the authorities shut down a radio program that discussed the issue of land seizures – a hot topic with the increasing number of projects in rural areas led by Chinese and Vietnamese companies.
The host of that radio program, Ounkeo Souksavanh, said that farmers who appeared on the program were arrested several months later.
In December, the government expelled Anne-Sophie Gindroz, the head of the Lao chapter of the Swiss charity Helvetas, citing her “explicit rejection” of the Lao political system.
As for Mr. Sombath’s case, the possible motives for his disappearance remain unclear. He retired last year from his organization, the Participatory Development Training Center, but continued to be engaged with nonprofit organizations in Laos.
Some speculate that going after such a high-profile personality was a warning to other private groups.
“To this day I am baffled,” Mr. Sombath’s wife said.
She rejects the term “activist” that many news organizations have used in describing him. “We have lived here for a long time, during periods when Laos was less open than now, when people were afraid to talk openly. We survived that period without something like this happening.”
Mr. Sombath’s U.S. connections may have made some old-guard officials suspicious, friends and old acquaintances say. He was an exchange student in Wisconsin in high school and went to college in Hawaii.
But his farming roots – both his parents were rice farmers in Laos – and his three decades of carrying out programs to help the poor won over many people. In 2005, he was awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, which honors public service in Asia.
Ms. Ng frets for her husband’s health and safety at the couple’s home overlooking the Mekong River. Mr. Sombath has a prostate condition and had been prescribed daily medication.
“I don’t know where he is,” she said. “I hope he is safe.”
Poypiti Amatatham contributed reporting from Vientiane and Bangkok.
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“Anand urges Vientiane to find missing activist”
The Nation (Thailand)
January 11, 2013
Former Thai prime minister Anand Panyarachun has appealed to the Lao government to do more to locate the missing activist Sombath Somphone, who disappeared in Vientiane nearly a month ago.
Anand, who attended the launch of a film at the Bangkok Arts Centre on Thursday evening, said he didn’t want to debate the circumstances of what occurred to Sombath – who exiles claim was abducted by government officials after being stopped at a police checkpoint in the capital.
But he urged Vientiane to do more to investigate, saying the 60-year-old social activist was a “very good man”.
Speaking during a debate on reconciliation televised by Thai PBS after the film showing, Anand said the disappearance of Sombath was bad for the region.
“I hope the Lao government would assume a more active role in finding out the truth of this particularly unwelcome event,” he said.
“It does touch on the value of human rights. There are disappearances [when people go missing] and enforced disappearances [when people may have been seized by the state].
“You can’t have enforced disappearances – it’s not something we like in this part of the world.”
The remarks by Anand are among the strongest yet by supporters in Thailand and throughout the region, and add to growing pressure on the socialist regime to come up with a more credible response on this matter.
The circumstances of Sombath’s disappearance were revealed on a closed-circuit video widely circulated on social media. It shows Sombath’s jeep stopping at a police checkpoint on December 15 and then being led away by two figures in plainclothes.
Vientiane has denied any knowledge of the affair, but Lao exiles say the incident fits a pattern of harassment of activists by the conservative Lao regime, which has a poor human rights record and is notoriously secretive.
Fears have also been voiced privately by supporters that Sombath has a health condition that could be aggravated if he is being detained secretly somewhere.
Earlier this week, former Thai senator Jon Ungpakorn called for the end of Asean’s policy of non-interference at a seminar which highlighted Sombath’s abduction.
“I feel that answers are needed,” Jon said. “The government has the responsibility to answer questions as to what has happened to him. The government of the Lao PDR [People’s Democratic Republic] is not really taking up this responsibility.”
Both Jon and Anand are former Magsaysay Award winners, as was Sombath, who won the award in 2005 for community leadership.
Sombath headed the Participatory Development Training Centre and was well-known for building up civil society independent of the government and opposing the Lao government’s views on how development should occur, especially large infrastructure projects like the Xayaburi Dam.
Jon, who was a senator from 2000 till 2006, said the abduction of Sombath is a vital test for Asean’s new human rights mechanism.
Rights activists warned yesterday that they will continue to lobby the Lao leaders because they believe the regime knows more about the incident but has refused to disclose details publicly.
Anand, who was prime minister twice for short periods in the early 1990s, is one of the region’s most distinguished statesman. His remarks followed a discussion about reconciliation after the screening of the film “Cambodia Dreams”, by veteran filmmaker Stanley Harper, at the Arts Centre yesterday.
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“UK urge’s Laotian authorities to investigate disappearance of community leader”
11 January 2013
UK Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire has expressed concern about the disappearance of community leader Sombath Somphone in Vientiane, Laos.
Sombath Somphone founded the Participatory Development Training Center (PADETC) a non-profit private school in Vientiane and was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award for his work promoting sustainable development in Laos. Sombath also worked with the UK to organise the Asia-Europe People’s Forum in October 2012.
Commenting on his recent disappearance Hugo Swire said:
“I am extremely concerned by the disappearance of the respected NGO worker Sombath Somphone in Vientiane, who went missing on 15 December 2012. Sombath has played a crucial role, over many years, in helping some of the poorest communities in Laos develop a stable means of income. He has proved a crucial partner in preparing and delivering with the UK a forum for young people in Laos last year. The UK Government strongly urges the Lao authorities to ensure a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into Sombath’s disappearance, and to do all they can to ensure that Sombath is reunited with his family as matter of urgency.”
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“Lao civil society…has been obliterated under a jackboot of fear.”
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“Learning from Lao”
Prachatai
Sun, 13/01/2013
Harrison George
This ASEAN Economic Community cannot come a moment too soon. If nothing else, it will give Thailand a chance to learn how to do things properly from the more advanced countries in ASEAN. Like Lao.
It is a common complaint that while Thailand is still bickering over the allocation of 3G mobile phone licences, Lao is ready with 4G. This is taken as a symbol of Thailand’s endemic inefficiency. But where does this inefficiency lie?
According to well-placed sources (as if anyone would cite poorly-placed sources), the superior efficiency of Lao resides in its streamlined system of bribery. Effectively, there is just one responsible agency, and anyone wanting a licence in Lao just pays them the one bribe and the deal is done.
In Thailand, there’s all sorts of people involved and you’ve no sooner paid off one than you find that there’s someone else expecting a backhander. And then another, and another who may already have taken money off your competitor. It is the time it takes to line up all the dots that makes Thailand lag behind its neighbour to the northeast.
So come on, corrupt officials, get your house in order. Surely it shouldn’t beyond you to figure out a one-stop bribery shop? The inefficiency of your corrupt practices is giving the country a bad name.
Then there is the recent enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone in Vientiane. After the initial blunder in allowing CCTV footage to be copied onto the Internet, the response of the Vientiane authorities has been exemplary. Comparisons to the 2004 case of Somchai Neelapaijit in Thailand are not flattering to those agents of the Thai state whose duties include crimes of this sort.
First of all, the Lao choice of victim has been far superior to the Thai case. Somchai was snatched in Bangkok right after he had made it clear that he was going to name police names in the torture of Muslim suspects. Remove him from the scene, and who are you intimidating? Presumably anyone else thinking of publicly exposing criminals in uniform in the next few days. And there aren’t too many of those.
But people doing ordinary development work, protesting government development disasters or criticizing politicians’ greed and stupidity were not going to be scared off by this kind of threat. The high-ranking thugs may have protected themselves from scandal, but otherwise, life went on as before, except that now the disappearance of Somchai itself became another stick with which to beat the authorities.
But in Sombath, the Lao security goons have picked a winner. Soft-spoken, accommodating, and well-respected, Sombath posed no clear and present threat to the Lao powers-that-be other than by demonstrating that there was a superior way of doing things which the Lao government wasn’t really interested in. There is widespread speculation about what may have triggered his abduction, but it is only speculation. Nobody really knows.
So the effect has been properly paralyzing. Nobody in Lao can guess who will be next. Nobody knows where the line is that they should not cross. Some people have left the country; some have done a duck dive, flitting from safe house to safe house in the hope that the security forces are still a few steps behind. And everyone is keeping their mouths firmly shut. Lao civil society, always a poor scrawny thing, has been obliterated under a jackboot of fear.
All the shouting and screaming is being done outside the country and Thailand, for all its Computer-Related Crime Act and other censorship laws, could learn a thing or two from Lao about keeping its people in the dark of ignorance.
Then there has been the Lao government response to this external pressure (and by the way, the pressure from the Thai government over the Sombath case seems to have been so intense as to be invisible). The Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs has simply brazened it out with bare-faced fairy tales.
He was stopped by traffic police for a normal check of his documents, they claim. The fact that a mysterious man on a motorcycle can drive his car away from outside the police post and that someone can escort him into a vehicle with flashing lights indicates, in the opinion of the Lao government, some kind of personal or business conflict.
Compare that with the virtual admission by then PM Thaksin that he knew what had happened to Somchai but wasn’t saying and the statement in parliament by then Deputy PM Chavalit that Somchai was dead. And the appearance of Somchai’s car at the bus station with all fingerprints so thoroughly wiped clean that it had the fingerprints of a police operation all over it.
No, when it comes to being properly criminal, there’s a lot to learn from Lao.
http://prachatai.com/english/node/3480?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+prachataienglish+(Prachatai+in+English)
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An Open Letter to Sombath’s Well-┬нWishers
January 14, 2013
From Ng Shui Meng, wife of Sombath Somphone
Since Sombath disappearance on the evening of 15 December 2012, my family and I have been touched by the great love, concern and support shown by friends, colleagues, international and regional agencies, civil society groups, government spokespersons, and the media who have joined hands to urge the Government of the Lao PDR to invest all their resources and capacities in their ongoing investigation of Sombath’s whereabouts, and to return him safely to me and to my family. We are most grateful and deeply touched by such show of solidarity for Sombath’s well-┬нтАР being.
While many articles and statements written about Sombath’s disappearance and urging his safe return have been helpful, some of the reports and comments also contain some factual errors or speculations. My greatest wish is the personal safety and well-┬нтАРbeing of my husband, Sombath, wherever he is. For this reason, I urge all well-тАРwishers not to stray away from the facts or to misrepresent Sombath or the nature of his work.
The facts as I know them
1. Sombath was last seen on 15 December 2012 driving in his jeep behind my vehicle. We were both going home to dinner. The last time I saw him from my rear view mirror was around 6:00 p.m. near the police post on KM 3 on Thadeua Road.
2. When he did not return home that night, we searched for Sombath’s whereabouts around the area where he was last seen and also searched the city’s hospital in the hope of finding Sombath, but to no avail.
3. On 16 December, we reported Sombath missing to the village, district and police authorities. Family searches were once more carried out in all the city’s hospitals, but there was no sign of Sombath.
4. On 17 December 2012, a request was made to the Vientiane Municipality Police Station to view the close circuit TV footages recorded by CCTV cameras near the police post where Sombath was last seen. The police officers on duty were very cooperative and allowed us to view the CCTV footages. From the TV footages, we saw Sombath stopped by the police at the police post. We saw Sombath get out of his jeep and enter into the police post.
5. Later a motorcyclist came by, parked the motorcycle near the jeep, running into the police post and later emerged and drove Sombath’s jeep away.
6. After a few minutes, a white truck with flashing lights stopped by the police post and two or three people were seen getting into the vehicle which drove off in a hurry.
7. The above facts were reported in my letter dated 17 December 2012 to the Chief of Cabinet of the Ministry of Public Security. On 18 December, I followed up by writing another letter to the Minister of Public Security, with a copy of the CCTV footage, and the report to the police. I urged the Minister to expedite the tracing of Sombath.
8. On 19 December 2012, the Lao Government issued a statement basically confirming that CCTV footage did show Sombath stopped at the police post for what it said was a routine check of vehicle documents. It also stated that later some people were seen going into a white truck but it could not confirm that Sombath was among them. It went on to say that Sombath could have been kidnapped presumably for reasons of personal conflict or business conflict. The statement ended by saying that the government would seriously investigate the whereabouts of Sombath and return him safely to his family.
9. On 26 December 2012, I was asked by the police to go to the Municipality Police Station, where I was asked to provide basic information about Sombath’s background, his family, his work, and my background and my work. My niece, my sister-┬нтАРin-┬нтАРlaw and and Sombath’s colleagues at PADETC were also questioned by the police.
10. On 04 January 2013, the Lao Ambassador based in Geneva, Mr Yong Chantalangsy, issued another statement once more stating that Sombath was not in police custody, and repeated that Sombath could have been kidnapped.
I have at no point refuted the government’s statement. In all my interviews with the press and in all my public statements, I have appealed to the Lao Government to expedite the investigation, find Sombath and to ensure his safety and quick return to me and the family. I also stated that Sombath has a medical condition that needs daily medication and that once returned to me, I would take Sombath to seek medical attention abroad until his full recuperation.
Sombath’s work
Over the last 30 years Sombath has worked openly to support the government’s policy of enhancing food security and improved livelihoods in the rural areas, promoting appropriate technologies in water and sanitation, improving teaching and learning in schools, and supporting human resource capacities, especially of young people, through training in leadership skills and community service. In recent years, he has worked closely with the Sangha to train monks to support the government’s drug reduction/rehabilitation programs and care and support for HIV infected/affected people.
In many recent articles and statements related to Sombath’s disappearance, he has sometimes been billed as a human rights defender or a social/ civil society activist. These terminologies do not accurately depict Sombath, the man or his work. It is true that Sombath through his projects has worked tirelessly to advance the well-┬нтАРbeing and support the building of human resource capacity of the rural poor. But, Sombath’s work has never been confrontational or antagonistic to government policy. Every project and every activity that Sombath has carried out, has been with the approval of the relevant government sector, and in cooperation with the local officials. This is because Sombath firmly believes that for any development program to be effective and have lasting impact, it needs to engage all sectors in Lao society -┬нтАР the government, mass organizations, NGOs, parents, teachers, youth, elders and villagers. This has been an abiding principle that has guided his work over the last 30 years.
Sombath’s development philosophy is that of promoting balanced and sustainable development. Sombath has never opposed economic development, but he urges that economic development be balanced with spiritual well-┬нтАР being, social improvement, and environmental and cultural protection. Sombath believes that by pursuing a balance between these 4 pillars of development is in the long run, the best way to achieving social harmony, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. This thinking is nothing new, and is reflected in the Lao Government’s own development agenda as the basic conditions needed to reduce poverty, achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and get Laos out of its Least Developed status by 2020.
Thank you.
Vientiane, Laos January 13, 2013
http://sombath.org/2013/01/14/open-letter-from-wife/
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EDITORIAL – Laos must tell the truth about Sombath’s fate
The Nation (Thailand) January 15, 2013
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Laos-must-tell-the-truth-about-Sombaths-fate-30197883.html
The disappearance of a noted social activist is tainted with the suspicion that the authorities have silenced him due to his opposition to dam construction and other projects
It is almost clear that the disappearance last month of Sombath Somphone, a respected Lao civil society leader, after he was stopped at a police station, was not an accident. The manner in which the authorities in Vientiane have responded to enquiries into the matter has also raised the possibility of the complicity of local officials in his alleged kidnapping.
Laos must come clean on the whereabouts of Sombath. Otherwise the country’s reputation and standing in the international community will suffer, especially after the successful hosting of the high-profile Asia-Europe Summit last year. Sombath’s supporters throughout Southeast Asia and other regions have demanded that the Lao government provide more information. Even former Thai prime minister Anand Panyarachun, who seldom makes any comment on a personal level, has appealed to Vientiane to investigate Sombath’s case.
Sombath’s friends have set up social media networks to monitor the situation. Some of his supporters believe he is still alive, but with no information forthcoming more than a month since he was last seen, many others believe his life is in jeopardy.
So far, the Lao government has said little about Sombath, apart from asserting that he may have been involved in a personal dispute. That is its standard official rebuttal to any question about dubious action. As a Magsaysay Award laureate, Sombath has been given recognition for his work in training Lao people on issues related to agriculture and development.
With the kind of economic development that the Communist Party of Laos has chosen to focus on, rapid growth in extractive industries such as timber and minerals has been given top priority. Ongoing dam construction has caused repeated concern about the relocation of villagers and long-term destruction of the environment and traditional ways of life.
Laos is still an oppressive society. It is more open than before, but still closed in comparison with neighbouring Thailand, Cambodia and even Myanmar. So far, its authoritarian government has escaped criticism because it has successfully hidden under the cloak of Asean since it joined the grouping in 1997. Laos has also been lucky due to its landlocked geographical location, allowing the regime to continue with its archaic style of governance.
After the Cold War, Laos was quite isolated for a long period. Two years ago, with the full cooperation of the Thai government, against the demands of the international community, Lao Hmong refugees were sent back to Laos unwillingly. This only helped Laos and Thailand to improve their “national security”. Since then, Laos has trained its officials to track internal players from non-government, or rather non-party, sectors. Anybody who does not follow the party line is punished or reprimanded for “anti-social behaviour”.
At this time, pending further investigation, Sombath’s colleagues and friends believe that his disappearance and alleged kidnapping by the authorities could be linked to his opposition to the Sayaboury Dam’s construction and other environmental issues.
Sombath’s whereabouts will remain a big issue and the Lao government has to be held accountable. Asean must take up this matter, especially the Asean Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights, which recently issued its much-heralded Declaration of Asean Human Rights. His disappearance looks more and more like a blatant display of political arrogance and central control inside Laos. Increasingly in the new regional landscape, such an authoritarian system is no longer acceptable.
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Al Jazeera (Video)
“Well-known aid worker disappears in Laos”
http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2013/01/201311524739516994.html
The work of Sombath Somphone is well-known across southeast Asia, but his disappearance in Laos on December 15 is a mystery.
It was Sombath’s development work and help to poor farmers that won him one of Asia’s most prestigious civil service awards. Laos authorities told Sombath’s wife that they don’t have him; they say he might have been kidnapped for personal or business conflicts, and an investigation is underway.
Al Jazeera’s Scott Heidler reports from Bangkok.
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[…] pour l’amélioration pour tous du monde dans lequel nous vivons.Dans un article du New Mandala, Simon Creak et Keith Barney se demandent si la disparition de Sombath est liée ├а son engagement […]
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….. “We certainly believe, in the diplomatic community, that Sombath Somphone has been detained by a branch of the Lao security services. And it is embarrassing for the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
The EU is scheduled to hold a formal human rights dialogue with the Lao government on Monday, where the issue of Mr Sombath will again figure.
“We will not forget him,” the diplomatic source said.”
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http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/asia-report/laos/story/eu-steps-pressure-laos-over-activists-disappearance-20130201
“EU steps up pressure on Laos over activist’s disappearance”
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“Sombath Case a ‘Blow’ to ASEAN”
2013-02-06
Rights groups say the disappearance of a Lao activist highlights Southeast Asia’s worsening rights record.
The “forced disappearance” of Lao activist Sombath Somphone is a blow to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), rights groups said Tuesday, as members of parliament across Asia and Europe urged the Laotian Prime minister to order an “urgent” investigation into his case.
…Saksinee Emasiri, a coordinator for the Human Rights and Peaceful Studies Institute at Thailand’s Mahidol University who was also present at Tuesday’s seminar, told RFA that Sombath’s disappearance was a sign that the state of human rights in the ASEAN bloc of nations–which includes Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam–were regressing.
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/sombath-02062013164521.html
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Grisly Trend: Green Activists Are Facing Deadly Dangers
Where is Sombath Somphone? With every day that passes, the fate of one of Southeast Asia’s most high-profile environmental activists, who was snatched from the streets of Laos in December, becomes more worrisome.
by Fred Pearce
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/grisly_trend_green_activists_are_facing_deadly_dangers/2620/
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[…] detailed in a recent posting on New Mandala by Simon Creak and Keith Barney, the disappearance was part a series of events […]
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