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Bird Toy

The above video was shared on Facebook by Sombath’s niece, along with the following message:

This film is worth watching. He [Grandpa Yiaheu Chiatua] will make you smile with joy.

Uncle Sombath Somphone is the director of the film, to promote local knowlege of Laos.

First implemented as PADETC’s project many years ago, in cooperation with MoE [Ministry of Education], now it’s government policy that local knowledge content is included in 20% of national core curriculum of Laos.

Uncle Sombath has done so much for his own country. May his good work bring him back home safely as soon as possible.

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AICHR's Role

AICHR-300x236It’s the mindset of some AICHR members to protect the government rather than the human rights of the people in the region.

Seree Nonthasoot, Thai Representative to AICHR: Bangkok Post 04 July 2013

สมาชิกคณะกรรมาธิการระหว่างรัฐบาลอาเซียนว่าด้วยสิทธิมนุษยชนบางท่านมีความคิดในการคุ้มครองรัฐบาล มากกว่าการปกป้องสิทธิมนุษยชนของประชาชนในภูมิภาคนี้จริง

ดร.เสรี นนทสูติ ผู้แทนไทยในคณะกรรมาธิการระหว่างรัฐบาลอาเซียนว่าด้วยสิทธิมนุษยชน: Bangkok Post: 04 ก.ค. 2556

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Greed and Happiness

When the west talks about happiness it’s individual sensory happiness, it’s only one sense at a time but if you have two or three senses together…wow…you feel really high (laughs). But here actually, you know, like we said earlier, it’s just doing mundane things…but sharing them with other people and being satisfied with them. If you get greedy you have to continue to be greedier and greedier to be happy–it never ends.

Sombath Somphone, from interview in Unhappy Laos

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Updates…

…According to the CCTV footage, at 6:00 pm the traffic police stopped the Jeep of Mr Sombath in order to check for driving license and car documents as normal procedures. Being stopped, Mr Sombath walked out from his car to the police to present documents. After the police had checked the documents they returned them to Mr Sombath and continued their duty of checking other cars. Then, a man came on a motorbike parked it near Sombath’s car and rushed to the police outpost direction…

…About 10 minutes later, a pickup truck came with hazard lights flashing. The pickup truck stopped near the police outpost…

…Following the preliminary assessment of the incidence from the CCTV footage, the authorities concerned viewed that, it may be possible Mr. Sombath has been kidnapped… (Emphasis added)

Spokesman of the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in KPL News, 19 December 2012

…At 6 pm the traffic police stopped Mr Sombath’s jeep in order to check his driving licence and car documents as normal procedures.

Being stopped, Mr Sombath walked out from his car to present his documents to the police…

…Then, a man came on a motorbike, parked it on the side road near Mr Sombath’s jeep and moved quickly in the police post direction...

…About 10 minutes later, a pickup truck came with hazard lights flashing and stopped near the police post. (Emphasis added)

Yong Chanthalangsy, Permanent Representative of the Lao PDR to the UN in Geneva, in Vientiane Times, 04 January 2013

…According to the footage, at 18:03 hours the traffic police conducted a regular random check for car documents, and among those checked cars there was a check on a Jeep resembled to the car reported in the incident. It was found that the driver walked out of the car and went to the area around the back of the Jeep.

After that a man on a motorbike came and parked it on the footpath near the Jeep and then walked into the direction where the owner of the Jeep walked to….

…About 8 minutes later, a pick up truck came and stopped at the roadside near where the Jeep had parked…

…From the CCTV footage, it can not be verified that the person who drove the Jeep and the person who later drove the Jeep away was Mr Sombath Somphone … (Emphasis added)

Phengsavanh Thipphavongxay, Deputy Director General, General Police Department, in Vientiane Times, 04 February 2013

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"Answers are Needed"

I hope the Lao government would assume a more active role in finding out the truth of this particularly unwelcome event…

It does touch on the value of human rights. There are disappearances [when people go missing] and enforced disappearances [when people may have been seized by the state]….

You can’t have enforced disappearances – it’s not something we like in this part of the world.

Anand Panyarachun, former Thai Prime Minister and Magsaysay winner, in The Nation, 11 January 2013

I feel that answers are needed… The government has the responsibility to answer questions as to what has happened to him. The government of the Lao PDR is not really taking up this responsibility.

Jon Ungpakorn, former Thai Senator and Magsaysay winner, in The Nation, 11 January 2013

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Education & Development

Sombath-012A sustainable education and development model should have a balance between the four pillars: economic development, environmental harmony, promotion and preservation of culture, and spiritual well-being…

Education and development in an ecological, holistic manner are interconnected, both are inter-dependent and supportive of each other.

Of course, at the base of the model is good governance, which promotes justice and fairness for everyone through the rule of law.

Sombath Somphone, in “Teaching Happiness,” interview in the Bangkok Post, 24 August 2012.

 

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Scholars voice support for missing Lao activist

ABC Radio Australia: 23 July 2013 (Please click link for audio version)

(Bahasa Indonesia)

More than 40 scholars from Australia’s leading universities have banded together to call on Canberra to take a tougher stand with authorities in Laos over the disappearance of the country’s best known community leader.

Presenter: Sen Lam

Speaker: Keith Barney, Australian National University’s Crawford School of Public Policy.

BARNEY: No there is no new information, the families and those closest to the case indicate that there’s no new details with the investigation. Sombath’s family have called the police investigation superficial, and the Lao government has refused international offers of technical assistance with the investigation, for example with examining the original camera footage. So there does not seem to be the political will within Laos to seriously investigate the abduction.

LAM: And Keith Barney you and of course with your colleagues, you’re all calling on the Australian government to do more. What exactly do you expect of Canberra?

BARNEY: Well in relation to our concerned scholars letter, we received a reply from Senator Carr on June 21st and Bob Carr responded to questions raised by Senator Lee Rhiannon in the June senate estimate hearing, and in his letter Carr explained that he had personally raised Sombath’s case with his Lao counterparts, particularly the Lao Prime Minister and the Foreign Affairs Minister. And he mentioned the human rights dialogues with Laos that Australia engages in the latest being in April 2012. However in response to our request for a more formal public statement by the Australian government, in his letter Carr referred back to the senate estimate transcripts and in the transcripts it was stated that the request to issue a formal statement at the highest level would be taken on notice. So it seems as though the department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is being a bit circular in their response to date to our letter. Continue reading “Scholars voice support for missing Lao activist”

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Laotische Wachstumsprobleme

Neues Deutschland: 22 Juli 2013

Motor brummt, doch nicht alle kommen voran

Die laotische Nationalversammlung, die früher selten von sich reden machte, wird zunehmend agil, wie sich bei der jüngsten Tagung zeigte.

Thongsing Thammavong, Premierminister der Demokratischen Volksrepublik Laos, geht auf die 70 zu. Doch der Lehrer aus dem laotischen Norden hält sich stets straff, fast wirkt er ein wenig hölzern. Seine Rede vor der Nationalversammlung verliest er recht emotionslos. Dabei legt er Zahlen vor, die andere Regierungschefs neidisch machen. Zur Halbzeit des Fünfjahrplans 2011-2015 verkündet er ein jährliches Wirtschaftswachstum von 8,2 Prozent. Zum Ende des Fiskaljahrs im September wird das jährliche Pro-Kopf-Einkommen auf umgerechnet 1154 Euro gestiegen sein. Laos kommt dem Ziel, bis 2020 den Kreis der ärmsten Länder der Erde zu verlassen, wieder ein Stück näher. Auch eine Staatsverschuldung von 2,5 Prozent wäre andernorts eine Traumzahl. Getrieben wird das Wachstum von der raschen Industrialisierung. Die Industrie wuchs seit 2011 mit jährlich 13,7 Prozent deutlich schneller als andere Sektoren, Bergbau und Energie sind ihre Motoren.

Der Premier räumt aber auch ein, dass zwei Millenniumsziele verfehlt werden: Laos wird die Müttersterblichkeit nicht von 650 (1995) auf die angestrebten 260 Fälle pro 100 000 Geburten senken können. Derzeit ist man erst bei 339 angelangt. Und das spezifisch laotische Ziel für die Beseitigung nicht explodierter Sprengkörper, Hinterlassenschaft von 30 Jahren Krieg, scheint illusorisch. Weniger als ein Drittel der angestrebten Fläche von 100 000 Hektar ist bisher geräumt. Continue reading “Laotische Wachstumsprobleme”

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Scholars call for Sombath probe

The Age: 22 July 2013   Marika Dobin

Footage of the scene of activist Sombath Somphone's abduction in December.
Footage of the scene of activist Sombath Somphone’s abduction in December.

He was considered Laos’ most famous community leader before his apparent abduction by the side of a busy Vientiane road was caught on film seven months ago.

Bootlegged CCTV footage appears to show sustainability activist Sombath Somphone being dragged away by several men when he stopped for what authorities claim was a routine traffic check.

Sombath, 61, has not been seen or heard of since but Amnesty International has claimed it may have been an ”enforced disappearance” by authorities.

Sombath Somphone.
Sombath Somphone.

Global leaders, including Hillary Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and United States Secretary of State John Kerry, have called for Laos to either release Sombath or launch an official investigation.

Now a group of scholars from Australia’s leading universities are calling on the Rudd government to get tough with its Lao counterpart over the human rights issue. Forty-two academics from institutions such as ANU, the University of Sydney, Macquarie University and University of Queensland wrote to Foreign Minster Bob Carr last month asking him to take a stronger stance. Continue reading “Scholars call for Sombath probe”

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The European Parliament….

The European Parliament…Screen Shot 2013-02-01 at 22.53.08 PM

1. Expresses its deep concern about the disappearance, safety and well-being of Sombath Somphone;

2. Is concerned about the tardiness and lack of transparency of the investigation into the disappearance 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, and to ensure the immediate and safe return of Sombath Somphone to his family;

3. Calls on the HR/VP to closely monitor the Lao government’s investigations about the disappearance of Sombath Somphone; Continue reading “The European Parliament….”