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Foreign Donors Slam Laos Over Lack of Progress on Missing Civil Society Leader

Radio Free Asia: 20 November 2014

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A 2005 photo of Sombath Somphone in the Philippines.

Donor countries to Laos have pressed the government of Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong on the whereabouts of the country’s most prominent civil society leader who disappeared nearly two years ago.

European and U.S. development partners mentioned the case of Sombath Somphone at a roundtable meeting with members of the Lao government last week in the capital Vientiane, during which they discussed the country’s progress and challenges in implementing various development goals.

The civil society leader went missing on Dec. 15, 2012, when police stopped him in his vehicle at a checkpoint in the capital. He was then transferred to another vehicle, according to police surveillance video, and has not been heard from since.

“Sombath’s case has been raised by several development partners such as the European Union … [and] the United States,” said a foreign representative at the meeting, speaking to RFA’s Lao Service on condition of anonymity. Continue reading “Foreign Donors Slam Laos Over Lack of Progress on Missing Civil Society Leader”

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EU: No progress on investigation

European UnionAt last year’s RTM we raised the issue of the unexplained disappearance of Mr Sombath Somphone. We were re-assured by the government that it had taken all steps to continue the investigation and to bring the perpetrators to justice. One year later (and almost two years after the disappearance occurred), we note with grave concern that no progress has been made and Mr Sombath has still not returned to his family. Once again, we urge the government to resolve this case urgently.

From European Development Partners’ Statement at the 2014 Round Table Implementation Meeting. The statement further reads:

…we encourage the Lao government to consider shifting to a growth model that is more quality-based and in line with a sustainable management of natural resources, reducing the negative effects of climate change and ensuring food security. “Green growth” does have enormous potential in Laos if the right incentives and regularly frameworks are put in place. This would also support social inclusion including for the growing number of young people that enter the labour market.

…a more sustainable model of growth…better management of natural resources…more social inclusion, particularly for young people… Who had been advocating these things for years before being disappeared?

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International donors must press government on human rights issues

FIDH_pinar_selekInternational Federation for Human Rights/Lao Movement for Human Rights (13 November 2014)

Paris, 14 November 2014: International donors should make their future aid commitments to Laos contingent upon the government’s tangible progress in addressing key human rights issues, FIDH and its member organization, the Lao Movement for Human Rights (LMHR), said in a letter to foreign embassies and major aid agencies in Vientiane on 13 November.

LMHR-LogoOn 14 November, Lao government officials and international donors gather in Vientiane for the 2014 Round Table Implementation Meeting. The event is designed for participants to review implementation of the country’s 7th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2011-2015) as well as other issues discussed during the 11th High-Level Round Table Meeting in November 2013. Today’s meeting also provides an opportunity for the Lao government and international donors to share information and ideas regarding development policies and strategies.

In recent years, official development assistance (ODA) to Laos has steadily increased. ODA rose by 23% from US$630 million in the 2010-11 fiscal year to US$777 million in 2012-13. Regrettably, the commitment shown by foreign donors to improving the lives of the Lao people has not been matched by a similar willingness by the Lao government to promote and protect its people’s fundamental rights, FIDH and LMHR said in the letter.

“In Laos, a foreign aid bonanza has not translated into greater respect for human rights. The time has finally come for international donors to use their leverage and push the government to live up to its human rights commitments and obligations,” said FIDH President Karim Lahidji. Continue reading “International donors must press government on human rights issues”

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How would you feel?

I am serious… I really want to know… If somebody in your family disappeared, how would you feel? How would you feel if you were just living your life, somebody took a member of your family, and you didn’t know the reason? And then everybody became afraid of him, even though they didn’t know heads or tails about why?

It is almost two years since Uncle Sombath disappeared, but there is still no news or information. On top of that, nobody dares to even mention his name. Even vendors still don’t dare to say the name Sombath Somphone.

Seriously, if it were you, how would you feel? It has been almost two years. The organisations who do the same work as him…who know the most about his work…who know it the best because they make a living doing the same work, they don’t even dare to say Uncle Sombath’s name. What is happening in our society?? Where has our heart gone??

We are all living our own lives, can we be forced to deny our very selves? Will we just let someone disappear, even though we know it is not right, to just snatch someone away out of the blue? Should someone disappearing like that just be accepted as normal, with everybody just looking out for themselves? Is it only for the family to deal with? We did nothing wrong against the police. The military has not said we did anything wrong. The courts have made no charges. So why is it we are afraid to say Sombath Somphone’s name? Think about that… If this is normal, then when other people disappear it will also be normal.

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Das symbolhafte Verschwinden von Sombath Somphone

SudwindSüdwind: 11 November 2014

Die verschwundene Hoffnung

Vor knapp zwei Jahren verschwand Sombath Somphone in seiner Heimat Laos spurlos. Die Geschichte des Enwicklungspädagogen erzählt viel über Möglichkeiten und Grenzen zivilgesellschaftlichen Engagements in dem kleinen südostasiatischen Land.
N. N.*

Seit 15. Dezember 2012 fehlt von Sombath Somphone jede Spur. Der Winter ist in Vientiane eine willkommene, wenn auch nur kurze Erholung von Hitze und Regen. Zwischen November und Jänner wird es in der Hauptstadt der Demokratischen Volksrepublik Laos für ein paar Wochen angenehm frisch. Der Abend des 15. Dezember ist ein solcher lauer Winterabend. Sombath Somphone – Agrarexperte und Pädagoge – setzt sich in seinen Jeep und macht sich auf den Weg nach Hause. Entlang der Thadeua Road leuchten die neuen Botschaften, Büros, Restaurants und Geschäfte der Stadt in schimmerndem Orange. Sombath kennt Vientiane noch aus ganz anderen Zeiten.

Nach dem Ende des Vietnamkriegs 1975 übernehmen die KommunistInnen die Macht in Laos. In den biederen ersten Jahren ihrer Herrschaft verschwindet die Farbe aus der damals noch verschlafenen Kleinstadt Vientiane. Bunte Kleidung und Make-up sind als Ausdruck westlicher Dekadenz verpönt. Die EinzelhändlerInnen im Stadtkern schließen ihre Läden. Ein Fünftel der Bevölkerung flieht vor wirtschaftlicher Not und politischen Repressionen ins Ausland. Der Mekong wird zum eisernen Vorhang Asiens. Ausgerechnet zu dieser Zeit kehrt Sombath aus den USA in seine Heimat zurück. Er hatte Anfang der 1970er Jahre im damals noch königlichen Laos ein Stipendium zum Studium der Erziehungs- und Agrarwissenschaften an der Universität in Hawaii erhalten. Nach seinem Abschluss hat Sombath gute Aussichten, als politischer Flüchtling in den USA bleiben zu dürfen. Dennoch entscheidet er sich 1978 für die Rückkehr in sein kriegszerstörtes Heimatland. Sombath fühlt sich verpflichtet, sein erlerntes Wissen einzubringen, um beim Wiederaufbau zu helfen, gerade weil die wenigen gebildeten Leute Laos in Strömen verlassen. Sombath schwimmt gegen den Strom. Continue reading “Das symbolhafte Verschwinden von Sombath Somphone”

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Will donors demand accountability?

With regard to the disappearance of Mr. Sombath Somphone, The Government of Lao PDR has concerns more than any nation. The Government has investigated and exchanged information with his family and ASEAN nations to find the person. Indeed, the Government of Lao PDR will continue the investigation process in accordance with its legal procedures and bring those involved into the justice.

Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from Report of the 11th High Level Round Table Meeting, held 19-21 November 2013.

  • Logo-Speak OutGovernments, agencies and organisations from across the globe continue to call for a more serious investigation, but no one has expressed satisfaction with efforts to date. No one.
  • No meaningful information has been provided to Sombath’s family. None.
  • There has been no indication of any investigation for well over one year. None.

Will donors continue to support this status quo, or demand accountability?

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Sombath on Ecology & Linkages

How far can we live on the ecological credit card before we hit the ecological crisis? When we hit the ecological crisis, I don’t think anyone can bail us out.

[wpvideo DQNHUV67]

Remarks by Sombath at a panel discussion held at the FCCT in Bangkok, Thailand, 10 November 2008.

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Ai WeiWei Speaks Out for Sombath

ai-trace-sombath-710x710The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is internationally renowned for work that defies the distinction between art and activism. In this exhibition of new works created specifically for Alcatraz, Ai responds to the island’s layered legacy as a 19th-century military fortress, a notorious federal penitentiary, a site of Native American heritage and protest, and now one of America’s most visited national parks. Revealing new perspectives on Alcatraz, the exhibition raises questions about freedom of expression and human rights that resonate far beyond this particular place. Fore-site Foundation

@Large: Ai WeiWei on Alcatraz contains images of 176 “Heroes of our time,” including three from Laos: Sombath (shown below), Seng-Aloun Phengphanh and Thongpaseuth Keuakounos.

sombath-ai-weiwei

 

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Dear Sombath…from Anne-Sophie Gindroz (2)

Dear Sombath,

They keep saying they don’t know
They keep saying they are inquiring
It is almost two years now

For answers we are still waiting



So many have been asking

“Where is Sombath?” to no avail

From everywhere calls are coming

But in Laos silence prevails

How long will this take

For the truth to be said?

How long will this take

For justice to be made?



They should know, let’s make it clear

That time will not weaken us

They should know, let us not fear

That we will never give up.

Anne-Sophie

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Sombath and Foreign Aid

Sombath-magsaysay-smallFor 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.

Murray Heibert, in “Is Laos Losing Its Way?” The Wall Street Journal, 08 January 2013.

But will Sombath’s disappearance and other human rights issues be addressed at the upcoming Round Table Implementation Meeting to be held on 14 November 2014?