It has been more than three months since the activist and sustainable
development campaigner Sombath Somphone was last seen on a busy road in
Vientiane.
The now infamous CCTV footage
capturing his final moments offer the clearest indication that his disappearance
was a carefully planned abduction. His jeep was stopped by police on December
15 before he was driven away in a separate vehicle and never seen again.
The government and police have
continued to deny any role in his disappearance and an ongoing investigation
has failed to yield any answers as to where Sombath is or why he was snatched
in the first place.
Along with local and
international NGOs and other supporters, his wife, Shui-Meng Ng, has built an
international campaign that has kept up the pressure on the Lao government.
International delegations and
diplomats continue to express concern about Sombath’s whereabouts, most
recently an EU delegation, but to date Lao officials have remained staunchly on
message and Shui-Meng says she’s heard the same answers time and time again.
“Members of diplomatic corp has
met high level government leaders and ministers, but answers are the same: ‘We
are also very concerned and doing all we can, the police have been doing an
investigation, but we have not found Sombath – we are sad that this happened,
etc..’” she says.
Next week will mark 100 days
since his disappearance and the EU has vowed to crank up the pressure through
“a new phase of international activity,” with Sombath’s case becoming a
priority for the European Parliament at the UN Human Rights Council.
Dutch Senator and EU Delegation
leader Tuur Elzinga was keen to spell out that the EU’s resolve won’t bend on
the missing activist. “If Lao officials think the issue of Sombath’s
disappearance will go away, they are wrong,” he said.
But as the 100-day milestone
approaches, the long days of campaigning are beginning to take their toll on
his wife.
“I am very tired and discouraged
of week after week with no news and no leads, but what choice do I have but to
keep trying and persevering and try every lead and every means to find
Sombath?” she says.
“My life is on hold – waiting,
waiting, hoping and hoping and at times feeling helpless and hopeless. I just
have to keep faith that Sombath is still alive… as anything otherwise is
completely unthinkable.”
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