Participants of the 10th anniversary of the Rotary Peace Centre in Chulalongkhorn University in Bangkok Thailand, expressed support for Sombath. The two-day event was entitled “Innovative Global Peace-building.” Opening remarks by Ng Shui Meng are available here.
1,000 Days without Justice
Press conference and panel discussion
10:30 am, Friday September 11, 2015
Note: This event will be streamed live on: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/fcct-live
On the evening of December 15, 2015, police stopped prominent Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone at a police checkpoint on a busy street of Vientiane. Shortly after being stopped, CCTV footage showed that unknown individuals forced Sombath into another vehicle and drove away while police looked on. Sombath was never seen again. His fate or whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
September 11, 2015, marks 1,000 days since Sombath disappeared. During these 1,000 days, what has been done to safely return Sombath? What have been the domestic and reg
ional implications of his disappearance? What are the next steps?
A panel of four distinguished speakers will answer these questions and provide an update on the quest for truth and justice for Sombath Somphone’s disappearance.
Ms. Shui-Meng Ng is the spouse of Sombath Somphone and a member of the Advisory Board of the Sombath Initiative.
Mr. Kingsley Abbott is the International Legal Advisor for Southeast Asia for the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and a former Senior Legal Officer with the United Nations at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit is the founder and President of the Justice for Peace Foundation (JPF), a member of the Advisory Board of the Sombath Initiative, and a nominee to the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT).
Ms. Debbie Stothard is the Secretary-General of FIDH, the Coordinator of ALTSEAN-Burma, and the Co-Chair of the ASEAN Peoples’ Forum/ASEAN Civil Society Conference (APF/ACSC) Media Committee.
Surface Sombath
Surface Sombath: A Forum in Commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared was organised by the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances and the Free Jonas Burgos Foundation on 27 August 2015 in Quezon City, the Philippines.
Remarks were given by Ng Shui Meng, Sombath’s spouse, Edita Burgos (pictured), Walden Bello, and two of Sombath’s fellow Magsaysay Laureates, Jon Ungphakorn and Seng Raw Lahpai.
A conference statement in commemoration of the 2015 International Day of the Disappeared was also read.
Enforced Disappearances – Lessons for Korea
On July 29-31, the Citizen’s Alliance on North Korean Human Rights organised a seminar “Enforced Disappearances – Lessons for Korea” in Seoul. Shuimeng Ng gave a presentation on the disappearance of Sombath Somphone, and the challenges faced by families in finding answers in the Lao context. Other presentations included perspectives from Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Guatemala, and many others.
The seminar also focussed on pressuring governments to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED).
Finally, participants joined the growing number of people from around the world who are asking “Where is Sombath?”
CURLS participants learn about Sombath
On Monday, July 27th, participants of the 2015 Chulalongkorn University Right Livelihood Summer School (CURLS) had an opportunity to learn about Sombath, his work, and his enforced disappearance.
The film Happy Laos was shown, along with presentations and discussion about Right Livelihoods, Buen Vivr, and Gross National Happiness. The course includes 25 participants from across the globe and will run until August 7th.
A video summary of the course can be found here.
South Asia speaks up for Sombath
The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances and its member organisations arranged actions in support of Sombath on December 15th. Here are a few from Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan:
Amnesty International in Canberra keeps up pressure
As posted on December 10th, Amnesty International’s chapter in Canberra, Australia held an action at the Lao embassy on 15 December, the two-year mark since Sombath’s enforced disappearance. 
Members had also raised awareness in the diplomatic areas on the preceding Thursday and Friday, and will be lobbying various missions in the lead up to Laos’ Universal Periodic Review on January 20th.
The group’s letter to Mr Phomma Khammanichan, Lao Ambassador to Australia, reads in part:
We are disappointed that the Lao PDR investigation into Sombath’s disappearance has seemingly not commenced in any substantial manner even after 2 years.
We know, you know, the representatives at the UN Universal Periodic Review know and the investigation team knows that the person who parked his motor bike at the police post and who then drove off in Sombath’s vehicle can be identified because the motor bike was identifiable.
We all know that the officer in charge of the police post and therefore in control of events on that on that fateful day can be identified and interviewed. This officer would normally know the identities of persons who entered the police post during the course of Sombath’s apprehension and disappearance.
We know that the licence number of the vehicle that took Sombath away is identifiable through CCTV footage taken at the time. Yet there is no evidence that these simple elements of an investigation have been made.
We all know that the Lao PDR Penal Code prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention and abduction. We also know as you would, that no one in Laos can be detained for more than 12 months without trial.
Hitchhiking for peace
On December 13 and 14, Sombath Somphone & Beyond organised a trip from Bangkok to Nongkhai. Here are a few pictures from their journey. For more, please see their Facebook page.
PADETC marks two years
Remembering the 2nd Anniversary of the Disappearance of PADETC’s Founder, Sombath Somphone and Celebrating the progress of PADETC’s Vision of Education for Sustainable Development was held at the PADETC’s office on December 15th, and attended by over 100 people. A summary description is available here, and more pictures here.
"Lightning Rally" at Lao Embassy in the Philippines
Continue reading “"Lightning Rally" at Lao Embassy in the Philippines”