Sombath's family seek info
Play
Wife chides Lao authorities for silence on progress of investigation
The family of missing Lao social activist Sombath Somphone has sought an update from authorities in Vientiane on the progress of their investigation into his disappearance, asking for “a gift” during the Lao traditional New Year celebration.
“His 85-year-old mother keeps asking about her son every day and it remains her hope to see him again,” said Sombath’s wife, Ng Shui Meng. “The mother, who lives in the central town of Thakhek, is very weak and worries about Sombath. The family is very much concerned.”
Magsaysay Award winner Sombath went missing on December 15 last year while driving back home from his office in Vientiane. Closed-circuit TV footage shows him being stopped by police at a checkpoint before being taken away by a group of unknown men in a pickup truck.
His wife Shui Meng, who is Singaporean, has done everything she can to discover his whereabouts, but drawn a blank. She has contacted people in authority and written them many letters begging for their help.
Officials have expressed their sympathy to her and her family but have not taken any action to pursue the case.
Days after Sombath’s disappearance, the Lao government issued a statement that the video footage in question seemed to suggest Sombath might have been abducted due to a personal or business conflict.
Lao authorities have assured the international community and foreign governments, who had earlier expressed their concern, that the investigation into the case was ongoing.
Shui Meng said members of the family had never been updated on the progress of the investigation. The police had once issued a statement that they were doing the job but did not provide any information to the family, she said.
Vientiane is rife with rumour and speculation about Sombath’s disappearance, but no one has yet been able to provide any clue about his whereabouts.
Sombath was not a threat to anybody as his work was mostly dedicated to development of grassroots people in Laos, Shui Meng said. Officially, he had already retired from his activism.
The last work he did before his disappearance was to help Laos organise a people’s forum for the Asia-Europe Meeting in Vientiane. The forum was sponsored by the Lao government, Shui Meng said, and noted “that it was not supposed to make anybody feel uncomfortable”.
