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Dear Sombath…from Anne-Sophie Gindroz (1)

Dear Sombath

These words are to thank you
Thank you for what I have learnt with you
Not only the what, but more importantly the how
As the journey matters more than the destination.

You believe in education
Not to reduce the world to few theories
But to learn from diversity,
Not to frame minds into models
But to stimulate critical thinking.

You practice education that opens windows
Not education that builds walls,
Because power lies in consciousness
And freedom to make own decisions.

Dear Sombath,
I admire the way you navigate authoritarian systems
Led by your unshakable faith
That there is wisdom in every mind
And kindness in every heart.

You always look for common grounds
Always to engage, never to confront
Compromising not on the fundamentals
But on time necessary to make these acceptable.

Real authority is not the one imposed by others
But the one we retain on our life choices,
When we follow values instead of orders
And obey sense of justice rather than duty.

And this is all part of happiness
This ultimate goal that should guide us all,
Which can’t be measured by individual wealth
Nor economic growth based development.

If freedom is about making own choices
Happiness comes from this deep and strong conviction
That we are making the right choices
As individual, community members, citizens of the world.

Dear Sombath,
Beyond awards and public recognition
You are a leading figure for your community
A father for so many young people
And a cherished friend for those who got to know you.

You have gained respect for what you are
Living by those values you believe in
And your humility and wisdom
Are more powerful than violence and lies.

Bodies are not immortal, but souls are
People might disappear, but ideals remain
Cultivated by younger generations,
Nurtured by their quest for harmony and justice.

Dear Sombath,
Your light will shine on
Like stars in the sky
Your presence will always be
Like hope in my heart.

Anne-Sophie

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Dear Sombath…from Dharmajala

Dear Lung Sombath,

A lotus for you, A Buddha to be.

I would like to let you know that a Vajrakilaya Puja, a Tibetan prayer ceremony by hundreds of monks from Donag Woesel Dargayling Monastery and Namdroling Monastery in Bhutan, is once more being conducted for your safe return to your family. We, your friends at Dharmajala in Indonesia are also praying for you. May all your friends and supporters and all peace-loving and compassionate people also join our prayers for your safe and healthy return soon to us.

On behalf of Dharmajala
With Metta,
Jimmy Lominto

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Dear Sombath…from Randall Arnst

Dear Sombath,

I don’t remember what our first conversations were about exactly. Broadly it was upland agriculture and the RIFS project you were working on. But I clearly recall your position that if farmers were not accepting new ideas it was because those ideas were not being adequately demonstrated, or they were not appropriate for local conditions.

Having grown up in a farming family, you knew farmers are creative and practical…if there is real potential. It struck me this was not an abstract ideal for you, but the reality of your own experience combined with an unshakable confidence in Lao farmers to make rational decisions for themselves.

In those years we often met in airports. Flight times were very unreliable, and the waiting could stretch for hours. In addition to our own travel, we were often meeting our spouses. We often joked about establishing an association for oppressed husbands…but we first needed their permission to hold the inaugural meeting!

Continue reading “Dear Sombath…from Randall Arnst”

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Enlèvement de Sombath Somphone: Vientiane reste muet

Le Temps: 31 Janvier 2014

Shui Meng Ng

Epouse d’un militant des droits de l’homme disparu il y a un an, Shui Meng Ng appelle le régime à faire preuve de bonne volonté

Treize mois après la disparition forcée de Sombath Somphone, le 15 décembre 2012, le Parlement européen a voté une seconde résolution appelant le gouvernement laotien à «clarifier les progrès de l’enquête sur le lieu où se trouve Sombath Somphone pour répondre aux nombreuses questions autour de sa disparition, et à requérir et accepter l’assistance des experts étrangers dans le domaine de la médecine légale et de l’enquête policière». L’UE a réitéré que le «manque de réaction de la part du gouvernement laotien suscitait des soupçons de ce que les autorités pourraient être impliquées dans son enlèvement».

Cette seconde résolution de l’UE a été précédée par d’innombrables appels privés et publics des gouvernements et de leurs représentants dans la région et à travers la planète, ainsi que de communiqués d’organisations internationales, d’organisations pour le développement, de groupements de la société civile et d’universitaires pressant les autorités laotiennes de s’efforcer de retrouver Sombath et le rendre sain et sauf à sa famille. Il y a eu aussi nombre d’articles et d’éditoriaux dans les médias régionaux et internationaux sur le cas de Sombath.

Mais au jour d’aujourd’hui, cette myriade d’efforts n’a abouti à aucun résultat. Il n’y a encore aucune information sur le lieu où se trouve Sombath ni aucun détail substantiel sur les progrès de l’enquête. Continue reading “Enlèvement de Sombath Somphone: Vientiane reste muet”

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Bangkok Post Editorial, 29 Jan 2014

Based on recent reports from Human Rights Watch and Freedom House, this is what the Bangkok Post had to say about Laos today:

Screen Shot 2014-01-29 at 17.17.35 PMLaos has replaced Myanmar as the most repressive in the region. As a prime example, the government has not even bothered to address the disappearance of development aid worker Sombath Somphone. The internationally known NGO leader was last seen on CCTV footage being abducted and forced into what apparently was a government vehicle. His disappearance is an obvious warning to anyone who might think of challenging the Vientiane regime.

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Dear Sombath…from Mark Sloneker

Dear Sombath,

The first time we met I knew you were someone special. Your passion for improving peoples lives in Laos was infectious. It inspired me, caught me up and guided me in the way of living life with purpose and meaning.

You gave me an opportunity to give back. To give without expectation, to empower and motivate, to help those in need help themselves.

Through the process I learned that I was the one in need. You knew that. You knew the better the heart, the better the work. You helped me fill an emptiness and guided me on the path of my own recovery through giving. I contributed, healed and evolved, you¹ve done that for many. Continue reading “Dear Sombath…from Mark Sloneker”

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Dear Sombath…from Inese Zalitis

Dear Sombath,

I want to write to you and remind you about something that happened almost ten years ago. It was nearly midnight, on the last day of the year of 2004, and I was sitting alone in my office in Bangkok. We had all been dealing with the then all-consuming emergency, the tsunami, that had happened a few days earlier. The whole office had been working day and night, but now I had decided to send everybody home, to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. I had to stay in the office, since there were telephone conferences every day with our HQ, to inform each other about the progress of the rescue and emergency activities.

I had just finished the telephone conference with New York. A snow storm was coming in the NY area, and they all had to head home, it was midday in the US. They all wished me Happy New Year, but added that they expected a full written report of the planned activities, as well as a complete Draft Programme Proposal, due in New York the day after! I nearly cried, but wished them all a Happy New Year.

That was the moment when the phone rang again, and it was you, Sombath, from Laos! Calling me to say that Shui-Meng and you were thinking about me, and wanted to hear if everything was all right, and of course to wish me a Happy New Year. I started to cry again, this time of pure joy, that a kind and familiar voice was approaching me and thinking about me. Thank you for that call!. And, the report was written and sent in, in time.

Inese Zalitis

(former Representative UNICEF, Thailand)

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Dear Sombath…from Margie Law

Dear Sombath,

I’m sure you have found, like me that sometimes you meet someone and don’t spend a huge amount of time with them and yet they are significant in your life. This is how I feel about you. We have only ever been together for meetings and conferences but your calm, quiet, reflective presence always had a strong influence on me.

When I think of Laos, I think of you, and of Charlie Pahlman. When I think of aid and development and how to assess its impact, especially how successful a project is and what and who is impacted, I think of you, and again, also of Charlie. The two of you are my mentors in development work because you always remain positive and encouraging and convinced that if people are listened to and able to contribute to their future that good decisions can be made. Continue reading “Dear Sombath…from Margie Law”

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Dear Sombath…from Shui Meng (1)

My dearest Sombath,

Late last week, the European Parliament issued another resolution calling on the Lao Government to “clarify the state of the investigation into the whereabouts of Sombath Somphone, to answer the many outstanding questions around Sombath’s disappearance, and to seek and accept assistance from foreign forensic and law enforcement experts’’. The EU reiterated that ‘’the lack of reaction by the Lao Government raises suspicions that the authorities could be involved in his abduction’’.

Although I am very grateful for the continued international pressure, I have to tell you that I cannot help but feel the Lao authorities will just shrug this latest EU resolution aside, as they have done with all the other statements of concern and appeals from around the world. The Lao Government can continue to do nothing because there have been few concrete consequences to their inaction, except for some bad press in the international arena. Continue reading “Dear Sombath…from Shui Meng (1)”

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The European Parliament….

  • Expresses its deep concern regarding the disappearance, safety and wellbeing of Sombath Somphone;
  • Calls on the Lao authorities to undertake prompt, transparent and thorough investigations, in accordance with their obligations under international human rights law, to fully cooperate with UN bodies such as the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and to ensure the immediate and safe return of Sombath Somphone to his family;
  • Reiterates its call on the High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission to closely monitor the Lao Government’s investigations into the disappearance of Sombath Somphone;
  • Stresses that the Lao authorities should take all necessary steps to end the practice of arbitrary arrests and secret detention; calls on Laos to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance;
  • Calls on the Government of Laos to respect the rights of free expression and association and the rights of minorities, and to protect the right to freedom of religion or belief;

The full resolution, adopted by the European Parliament on 16 January 2014, can be seen here.