Tag: Sombath’s Family

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Laos kidnap probe mired in suspicion

Bangkok Post: 15 September 2015

Activist Sombath now missing for 1,000 days

SB & Shuimeng
In this file photo, Lao civil rights activist Sombath Somphone and his wife Shui-Meng are pictured during a 2005 holiday in Bali. The 2012 kidnapping of Mr Sombath, the country’s leading civil rights activist, has revealed the one-party communist Laos, one of the five such regimes in the world, as one of Asia’s most repressive societies. AP

One thousand days after civil society leader Sombath Somphone was abducted at a police checkpoint in Vientiane, Lao authorities say they still have no clues about what may have happened to him.

“It’s been 1,000 days of waiting, 1,000 days of anxiety — and 1,000 days of nothing,” Shui Meng Ng, Mr Sombath’s wife, told a panel held to mark the milestone.

Mr Sombath, a renowned community activist, was last seen on Dec 15, 2012, when he was stopped at a police checkpoint in Laos’ capital city. While his apparent abduction was caught on CCTV camera footage, the probe into the case has stalled.

The video footage shows Mr Sombath being stopped at the police checkpoint and several men forcing him into another vehicle and driving away.

Four days after the activist went missing, a statement from the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged Mr Sombath was stopped at the checkpoint and his jeep was later driven away by another individual. Continue reading “Laos kidnap probe mired in suspicion”

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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

FIDH-LogoOn 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 regLogo-Sombath Initiativeional 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.

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Civil groups urge end to forced disappearance in ASEAN

Jakarta Post: 03 September 2015

As ASEAN moves toward a single economic community, civil society groups have urged regional governments not to tolerate human rights violations and to address past abuses, including cases of forced disappearance.

In its efforts to become a democratic region, ASEAN still faces unresolved cases of involuntary disappearances. According to the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), some 800 cases of forced disappearances in ASEAN member countries have been reported to the UN.

The Philippines has the most cases filed at 625, followed by Indonesia with 163, Thailand with 71, Laos and Myanmar with two each and Cambodia with one case.

“The figures represent the tip of the iceberg vis-a-vis the actual number of cases, since families and witnesses are fearful of reprisals from state authorities,” AFAD said in a recent statement. Continue reading “Civil groups urge end to forced disappearance in ASEAN”

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Rights Groups, Wife of Missing Lao Activist Renew Calls for Progress in Case

Radio Free Asia: 31 August 2015

SB-Magsaysay-08
A 2005 photo of Sombath Somphone in the Philippines. AFP/Sombath Family

Human rights groups and the wife of a prominent civil rights leader who disappeared nearly three years ago have called on the Lao government to adequately investigate the incident and provide information about the case’s progress.

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

Although authorities have denied any responsibility, Sombath’s abduction is widely acknowledged to be an enforced disappearance.

On Sunday — the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances — Sombath’s wife, Ng Shui-Meng, urged Lao authorities to inform her of their progress in the investigation.

“The authorities always say they are investigating, but always without clear answers,” she told RFA’s Lao Service. “I appeal to the government to have pity on my suffering and honestly give me the investigation results.”

She added that governments and state agencies should not commit enforced disappearances.

“It is a crime and a violation of a person’s rights,” she said. Continue reading “Rights Groups, Wife of Missing Lao Activist Renew Calls for Progress in Case”

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2015年国際失踪者デーに向けて　シュイ・メン氏の手紙

Mekong Watch: 30 August 2015

私の最も親愛なるソムバットへ

Shumeng-Gwangjuこの数か月、あなたに書かなくてはと何度も思い、少し書きかけるのだけれど、毎回、続けて書けないのです。本当に難しくて。思いを言葉にすることさえ以前にも増して困難になっています。あなたを力づけるためにこれ以上何を言えるでしょうか。あなたが元気でいてくれて、自分の自由を取り戻す希望を捨てていないことを、ただ祈っています。

明日は8月30日です。再び、国際失踪者デーを迎えます。私は昨年のこの日にあなたに宛てて書いた手紙を読み直しています。綴った感情は今も同じです。失踪が私にのしかかり、味わう痛みと失望は、年に一度、この日にだけ思い出さなくとも、私の場合は、毎日、毎秒、その痛みと失望とともにあるのです。

でも、失望の中にあっても、言葉があなたに伝わっていないようであっても、私は伝えたい。この数週間、私は希望と信頼が再び芽生えるのを見つけたのです。この数週間、私は東京、ソウル、ジャカルタ、マニラで、「非自発的失踪に反対するアジア連盟」（Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearance: AFAD）やその他の人権団体が主催した、沢山のロビー活動に参加したのです。これらの活動は様々な地域の皆さんや団体に、あなたの失踪、それから他の方々の失踪について思い出してもらう活動でした。それぞれの場所で私は心から寄り添ってくれる友人や支援者に会いました。そして忘れてはならないことは、失踪者の家族に会ったことです。 Continue reading “2015年国際失踪者デーに向けて　シュイ・メン氏の手紙”

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Bound by tragedy, 2 women comforted by UN chief’s remark vs enforced disappearance

InterAksyon: 30 August 2015

Shui Meng & Edita Burgos
Edita Burgos and Shui Meng, wife of missing Ramon Magsaysay laureate and Laotian activist Sombath Somphone, find kinship in tragedy. They draw solace from UN SecGen Ban Ki-Moon’s strong condemnation of enforced disappearance, calling it like rain after a long drought.

MANILA – A Filipino mother and a Laotian wife, who have found solace in each other’s company since an encounter in an international forum on desaparecidos, are these days drawing comfort from the United Nations chief’s statement on the International Day of the Disappeared.

For Edita T. Burgos, widow of the world press freedom icon Jose G. Burgos Jr. and mother of missing farmer-activist Jonas, the past eight years since her son was seized while eating lunch at a mall – by men believed to be military agents – have been very difficult.

Shui Meng, wife of Ramon Magsaysay laureate Sombath Somphone, is in town to show her solidarity with other victims of enforced disappearances. She is a guest of the Asian Federation Against Enforced Disappearances (AFAD), where she and Mrs. Burgos met a few months ago.

Sombath is said to have been abducted by Lao government agents, as seen in a video posted on youtube. He remains missing and Shui Meng is pleading with his captors to release him. She expressed hope that the same tragic fate will not befall their family and loved ones. Continue reading “Bound by tragedy, 2 women comforted by UN chief’s remark vs enforced disappearance”

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Dear Sombath…from Shui Meng (9)

My dearest Sombath

I have been thinking of wShumeng-Gwangjuriting you many times over the last few months, but each time, I would start and after a few words I could not continue. It is getting so hard, so hard to even put my thoughts into words. What can I say to you that could be comforting for you anymore? I just pray and hope you are still keeping well and also have not lost hope of regaining your freedom.

However, tomorrow will be 30 August; it will once more mark the International Day of the Disappeared. I re-read the letter I wrote you on this day, last year. The sentiments expressed then remain today. I don’t need to be reminded of the pain and despair that disappearance wrecks upon me only one day each year. I carry the pain and despair every moment of everyday!

However, despite the despair and the seeming lack of words to reach out to you, I want to tell you that over the last few weeks, I have found a rekindling of hope and faith. Over the past few weeks, I participated in a number of lobby activities in Tokyo, Seoul, Jakarta and Manila organized by AFAD and other Human Rights Organizations. These activities are to remind people and organizations from across the region of your disappearance, and that of the other disappeared. In each of these places I met with very sincere friends and supporters. More importantly, I also met with family members of the disappeared. Continue reading “Dear Sombath…from Shui Meng (9)”

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Surface Sombath

AFAD Forum 2015 August 27Surface 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.

Edita BurgosRemarks 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.

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Enforced Disappearances – Lessons for Korea

Seoul-AFADOn 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?”

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Dear Sombath…from Shui Meng (8)

My dearest Sombath,

books-for-children-2006bToday is Father’s Day. I keep thinking of you on this day. You always say that even though we do not have any children of our own, it really does not matter, because you are always surrounded by children and young people through the Young Volunteers’ program that you started in PADETC. You keep reminding me that the young volunteers are like your children, and since we do not have children of our own, you can spend more time working with other people’s children and help guide them and challenge them to think, and direct their energy and creativity in a productive way.

Sombath, you truly love and relate very well with children. You believe that children and young people are special and that the growing-up years are the most important years of their lives. Those are the years you say are critical for developing their values and their world-view for the future. You also believe that learning in schools and from books alone is not enough; children and young people need to learn also from real life and real experiences outside of the classroom. Continue reading “Dear Sombath…from Shui Meng (8)”