Questions…

Question MarkThe lack of a serious investigation into the abduction of Sombath Somphone raises many questions. Here are some that have been raised on social media:

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26 December 2016

If the authorities are “still seriously conducting the investigation,” why did they refuse to meet with staff from the UN Human Rights Office?

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26 October 2015

If the authorities are “still seriously conducting the investigation,” why have there been no updates, either public or private, since June, 2013?

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16 March 2015

14-police-checks-motorcycleWhy have Lao authorities never released the names of the policemen who stopped Sombath, or the members of the committee in charge of investigating his disappearance?

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02 February 2015

Why, in its January 31st article on the Lao PDR’s Universal Periodic Review, did the Vientiane Times print 430 words describing what the Lao government said about Sombath Somphone, but not one word reporting what anybody else said?

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15 January 2015

Lao authorities have repeatedly suggested that Sombath’s abduction may be due to a “…personal conflict or a conflict in business.”  Why, even after two years of “serious” and “thorough” investigation, have they not been able to offer any evidence to support this, either publicly or privately?

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29 November 2014

The crash of flight QV301 was tragic. However, authorities accepted international assistance in the investigation, and a report has been released to the victims’ families. These have been denied to Sombath and his family.

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23 October 2014

Why are no Lao lawyers willing to assist in this case?

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29 September 2014

The Indian, Singapore and Australian embassies are very near the police post where Sombath was taken. Has anyone questioned their guards, or checked their CCTV footage?

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21 August 2014

[wpvideo li7exYpc]Why are they dragging a locked motorcycle behind the police post, and why do investigators find that situation “normal”?

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13 August 2014

The Lao government has repeatedly expressed its great concern about Sombath’s disappearance, and that everything possible is being done to solve the case. So why are civil society organisatons unable to mention his name or raise the issue?

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04 August 2014

Why is the Lao government, which actively solicits international assistance for everything from writing laws to maintaining parks, refusing such assistance in analysing CCTV footage that it admits it cannot decipher?

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21 March 2014

In two statements, authorities claim that after checking his vehicle papers, “They returned them to Mr Sombath and continued their duty of checking other vehicles.” Why is there no evidence of their stopping anyone else in the 17+ minutes of available CCTV footage? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2kra80Tl3c

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25 February 2014

13-pickup-departsAfter more than 14 months of “thoroughly and seriously investigating the case,” police have apparently not yet tried to identify the make and model of the pickup that took Sombath away. Can you help?