This presentation was part of the Sombath Symposium on “Humanity and Nature: Traditional, Cultural and Alternative Perspectives”, the objective of which was to present and discuss knowledge and practice drawn from different cultures and traditions that can serve as an alternative foundation to the predominant growth-driven development model.
The Lao Movement for Human Rights has the honor of inviting you to a conference on:
”Is International assistance complicit in the repression in Laos?”
Tuesday, June 14 at 15:00
Regional Council of Ile-de-France, room 100
33 rue Barbet-de-Jouy, 75007 Paris
Speakers:
For safety reasons, events taking place in the regional council hall, require prior registration.
An ID will be requested at the entrance.
Le Mouvement Lao pour les Droits de l’Homme
A l’honneur de vous inviter à la conférence sur le thème
‘’L’aide internationale est-elle complice de la répression au Laos?’’
Mardi 14 juin à 15h00
Conseil régional d’Île-de-France, salle 100
33 rue Barbet-de-Jouy, 75007 Paris
Intervenants :
Pour des raisons de sécurité, les manifestations qui se déroulent dans les salles du Conseil régional sont sur inscription obligatoire.
Une pièce d’identité vous sera demandée à l’entrée.
An economy is often defined as “the wealth and resources of a country or region”. Few would contest that the greatest wealth and most fundamental resource for humanity is the earth on which we live; yet most do not see our environment as an economy in itself. Conversely, nearly all contemporary economic and development models see the natural economy as a resource to be exploited (or at best managed) to serve the needs of the monetized economy.
While this perspective is certainly predominant, it is neither intrinsic nor universal. It is also increasingly proving to be unsustainable.
Focus on the Global South and The Sombath Initiative, in cooperation with the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, held the Sombath Symposium on February 15-17, 2016, to present and discuss knowledge and practice drawn from different cultures and traditions that can serve as an alternative foundation to the predominant growth-driven development model.
This publication, “Humanity and Nature: Traditional, Cultural and Alternative Perspectives”, compiles essays discussing these perspectives, as well as syntheses of the different parts of the symposium. The Sombath Initiative and Focus on the Global South hope that this publication will serve as resource material, as well as a guide document for the ongoing and future work on alternative perspectives on humanity’s relationship with nature.
A short video of the symposium and videos of each presentation are available to view at The Sombath Initiative YouTube channel.
For more information about The Sombath Initiative and Sombath Somphone, please visit www.sombath.org
Public Forum
February 17, 2016, 9.30 am–12.30 pm
Ruan Chula Narumit, Chulalongkorn University
This public forum will share the key lessons and conclusions from the Sombath Symposium, a three day event which aims to exchange and explore various traditional, cultural and alternative perspectives on how humans value and interact with nature.
Participants of symposium will come from Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, The Philippines, Indonesia, and India, and represent a wide range of ethnic, cultural, religious and vocational backgrounds and perspectives.
The forum will also be joined by local community and activists from Thailand to contribute to the discussion on their struggles to protect the nature and livelihood.
Organised by Focus on the Global South and the Sombath Initiative, in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation
English-Thai-English translation will be provided
Lunch will be served at 12:30 at SASA International House
For more information about this event and to confirm attendance please contact Hamdee Tohming at [email protected] or 089-004-4117.
The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) together with representatives from human rights organizations in the Philippines gathered today, to commemorate the enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone. Former Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Ms. Etta Rosales who was also present in the event gave an inspirational message to encourage human rights defenders to not lose hope and to continue the struggle for truth and justice. Shui Meng, the wife of Sombath, sent a video message expressing her thanks to AFAD and human rights networks in the Philippines.
Sketches of the Disappeared, including that of Sombath Somphone, were displayed. “The sketches all have no eyes”, the artist says, “they will have eyes when they reappear”.
The event was also the launching of the ilitaw.ph – the official campaign website regarding enforced disappearances in the Philippines.
More than 50 people from various human rights organizations and media organizations attended the event.
December 17th, 2015
Time: 14:00-17:00
DIPAK C.JAIN room, SASA International House, Chulalongkorn University
2016 will be an important year for ASEAN, as it promises to turn its “vision” into a “reality”. Its chairmanship will be with the Lao PDR, where civil society organizations in the recent ACSC/APF agreed they will not hold their 2016 gathering. This forum aims to draw attention and give different perspectives to this so-called ASEAN “Reality” and “Vision” of a “Dynamic Community”.
Panelists:
Moderator: Shalmali Guttal, Focus on the Global South
For more information: Hamdee, 0890044117, [email protected]
A commemoration on the third year of Sombath’s Enforced Disappearance
Bridi Banomyong International College, Thammasart University, Bangkok
15 December 2015
The Participatory Development and Training Center (PADETC), founded by Sombath, held its 2015 fair under the banner of “The Man, HIs Work, and His Dream for Laos,” on Friday, December 11th.
Approximatley one hundred friends, colleagues, CSO staff and diplomats attended the event, which included Buddhist prayers for Sombath, and comments from his spouse and colleagues.
Some likened Sombath to a farmer nurturing a fruit tree. But rather than keeping the fruit for himself, he would spread it around so more trees would grow, and produce more fruit.
May the fruits of his vision continue to grow.
A Thai PBS report on the event.
10:30 am, Monday, December 14, 2015
Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT)
Three years ago, on December 15, Magsaysay award winner and acclaimed community development leader Sombath Somphone was detained at a police checkpoint in Vientiane, Laos, and then disappeared by state authorities. Since then, the Lao police and government authorities have consistently failed to seriously investigate the case, and continue to unpersuasively claim ignorance of Sombath’s whereabouts.
Yet evidence is still being uncovered, and on the 3rd anniversary of his enforced disappearance, new CCTV camera footage — obtained from the area where Sombath was abducted on the day that Sombath vanished into state custody – will be made public.
A panel of speakers will also provide the latest updates on Sombath’s case and the international campaign to demand answers from the Lao PDR government.
Speakers include:
For more information, please call +66-85-060-8406, or email: [email protected]
