A petition calling on the Lao government to take action on Sombath Somphone’s disappearance, organised by the May 18 Memorial Foundation, has been signed by 8,697 organisations and individuals. These include the Gwangju Christian Council, The Roman Catholic Archdiocese and Archbishop of Gwangu, the Mayor of Gwangju, members of the Korean National Assembly, and many others. The petition states in part:
Mr. Sombath Somphone had neither engaged in politics any kind nor confrontational or antagonistic to government policy. Rather he was widely respected by the community due to his works for the rural poor.
We cannot overlook this tragic incident on Mr. Sombath Somphone in Laos as a member of global community.
The full-petition in Korean with an English translation is available here.