The Asian Federation against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) is holding its Third Conference on Psychosocial Support in the Search for Truth and Justice for Victims of Enforced Disappearance, Torture and Extrajudicial Execution in Manila on July 17-20.
Shui Meng Ng gave remarks during the first morning, sharing in part:
The reason why I am here with you today is that I still hang on to a glimmer of hope that Sombath will be found and will be returned. But, apart from the fact that this glimmer of hope drives me on and makes me get out of bed everyday, is that I know for a fact that the perpetrators of impunity and injustice and the systems and structures that sustain them, would not care whether we live or die. They would be glad to see us the victims go under and fade away. And that is why, we the victims and the family members of the victims, cannot accept to just fade away. We need answers, we need truth, and we need justice.
A live blog and more details of the conference are available here.