Radio Free Asia: 13 December 2013
Ahead of the first anniversary of Lao NGO leader Sombath Somphone’s disappearance on Dec. 15, 2012, his wife Ng Shui Meng, in an interview with RFA’s Lao Service, looks back to the day he went missing and says that believing he will come home is what gives her the strength to go on:
Q: Can you share with us what progress has been made in the search for Sombath Somphone?
A: The police said the investigation is ongoing, but I have no knowledge of what they are doing to conduct the investigation. Nor have the police kept us informed. They just said to trust them.
Q: Could you walk us back to what happened on Dec. 15? Start at the very beginning. What do you remember about that day? What were you doing? Where were you when you parted company? What was the last thing you said to one another? When did you start to get worried? What did you do? Who did you call for help? How did they respond?
A: Dec. 15, 2012 was a Saturday. I had a meeting with a friend earlier in the day and I took the car. Sombath had no appointment and said he did not need to go anywhere, except for his usual ping-pong game which he plays regularly with his ping-pong teacher at the PADETC [Participatory Development Training Centre] office. He said not to worry, as he could take his old jeep to go to play ping-pong later in the afternoon. Continue reading “Interview: 'All That Matters Is Sombath Be Found Quickly And Returned Safely'”