Magsaysay award winner kidnapped: Lao FM
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The missing Laotian Magsaysay award winner Sombath Somphone was abducted from a police outpost in Vientiane on Saturday, the Laotian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
The ministry did not say why Lao police had failed to protect him but vowed to continue the investigation to find out more about the incident and Sombath’s whereabouts.
Close circuit television footage and testimony from his wife indicate that Sombath may have been kidnapped as the result of a personal or business conflict, according to a ministry statement.
“At this stage the authorities are not in a position to say exactly what has actually happened, why Sombath has gone missing, or who might have been involved in the incident,” it said.
On December 15, the traffic police were conducting routine random checks on cars at a police outpost on Thadeua Road in the vicinity of Vatnak village in Sisattanak district, Vientiane.
CCTV footage shows traffic police stopping Sombath's Jeep at 6pm for what the ministry describes as a routine check of his driving licence and vehicle documents. The footage shows Sombath leaving his car to present his documents to the police.
After the police had checked the documents, they returned them to Sombath and continued to check other cars. A man on a motorbike is seen parking near Sombath's car and moving quickly towards the police outpost. A little while later, he is apparently seen walking to Sombath's car then driving it slowly away.
About 10 minutes later, a pickup truck arrives, its hazard lights flashing and near the police outpost. A man is seen leaving the pickup then returns to the vehicle with another individual.
There was no signs of the two men being forced into vehicle and it has not possible to identify them. The pickup was then driven off. Its destination remains unknown.
“In this connection, the authorities concerned are currently and seriously investigating the incident in order to find out the truth and whereabouts of Sombath,” the statement said.
