Just Bob
Senior Member
Interesting article in the NY Times;
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/w...-laos-bears-the-cost.html?exprod=myyahoo&_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/w...-laos-bears-the-cost.html?exprod=myyahoo&_r=0
Laos Could Bear Cost of Chinese Railroad
- Thread starter Just Bob
- Start date
Just Bob
Senior Member
The thing that irks me is that its called the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic while its really not much different than Burma. Or China...
Lone Rider
Blokes Who Can
There is quite a bit more going on below the radar. The Country Director of Helvetas (a Swiss NGO) was in December expelled from the country and had to leave in 48 hours after she sent an open letter to the International Community with questions about people being allowed to have their say (something which is enshrined in the Lao Constitution) but after the fact being warned about their remarks by the Lao authorities - more info here: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/foreign_affairs/Helvetas_director_forced_to_leave_Laos.html?cid=34145518
On 15 December Sombath Somphone (whom I know from my work in Laos) and who is the founder of the Participatory Development Training Center (PADETC) based in Vientiane was stopped by police on Thaeua Rd in Vientiane and since that time no one has seen him again. Sombath has been working for 30 years to promote sustainable development through training and educating young people. He urged them to remain mindful of their country's traditional values even as global forces grow stronger. In 2005, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in recognition of his hopeful efforts to promote sustainable development in Laos by training and motivating its young people to become a generation of leaders.
From www.avaaz.org: According to information collated, on the evening of December 15, 2012, Mr. Sombath was driving his jeep in Laos-capital Vientiane, following the car driven by his wife, Ng Shui Meng, to their home from office for dinner, when he was hailed down by two policemen on Thadeu Road. Recorded footage of a screening of what is purported to be the closed-circuit television capture of the incident shows the arrival of an unidentified man on motorcycle, who hurries over to the police post where Mr. Sombath is being questioned, soon after Mr. Sombath steps out of his jeep. Later, the same motorcyclist appears to drive Mr. Sombath's jeep away. The footage further shows the arrival of a white pick-up truck, with flashing hazard lights. On Dec 19, the Laotian government has responded to his wife appeals and the footage of what appears to be an enforced disappearance by offering that it is "possible Mr. Sombath has been kidnapped perhaps because of a personal conflict or a conflict in business. Video here: Sombhat Somphone abduction 15dec2012 - YouTube[FONT=arial, sans-serif]"[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Coincidentally[/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif], both persons had been heavily involved with the ASEM or Asia-Europe meeting held in Vientiane in November and I am not sure if their cases are in any way related to tours having problems entering Laos as indicated here ([/FONT]http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-forum/laos-ride-reports/2883-dont-run-illegal-tours-laos-beware-2.html)[FONT=arial, sans-serif]: [/FONT]"The Tourism Chief Officer was here at my place. They changed some regulations since the ASEM (Asia) meeting in November 2012 (Vientiane, Laos). He spoke with the Tourism Chief Police officer. Everything got more complicated. But they look for a solution".
On 15 December Sombath Somphone (whom I know from my work in Laos) and who is the founder of the Participatory Development Training Center (PADETC) based in Vientiane was stopped by police on Thaeua Rd in Vientiane and since that time no one has seen him again. Sombath has been working for 30 years to promote sustainable development through training and educating young people. He urged them to remain mindful of their country's traditional values even as global forces grow stronger. In 2005, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in recognition of his hopeful efforts to promote sustainable development in Laos by training and motivating its young people to become a generation of leaders.
From www.avaaz.org: According to information collated, on the evening of December 15, 2012, Mr. Sombath was driving his jeep in Laos-capital Vientiane, following the car driven by his wife, Ng Shui Meng, to their home from office for dinner, when he was hailed down by two policemen on Thadeu Road. Recorded footage of a screening of what is purported to be the closed-circuit television capture of the incident shows the arrival of an unidentified man on motorcycle, who hurries over to the police post where Mr. Sombath is being questioned, soon after Mr. Sombath steps out of his jeep. Later, the same motorcyclist appears to drive Mr. Sombath's jeep away. The footage further shows the arrival of a white pick-up truck, with flashing hazard lights. On Dec 19, the Laotian government has responded to his wife appeals and the footage of what appears to be an enforced disappearance by offering that it is "possible Mr. Sombath has been kidnapped perhaps because of a personal conflict or a conflict in business. Video here: Sombhat Somphone abduction 15dec2012 - YouTube[FONT=arial, sans-serif]"[/FONT]
[FONT=arial, sans-serif]Coincidentally[/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif], both persons had been heavily involved with the ASEM or Asia-Europe meeting held in Vientiane in November and I am not sure if their cases are in any way related to tours having problems entering Laos as indicated here ([/FONT]http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-forum/laos-ride-reports/2883-dont-run-illegal-tours-laos-beware-2.html)[FONT=arial, sans-serif]: [/FONT]"The Tourism Chief Officer was here at my place. They changed some regulations since the ASEM (Asia) meeting in November 2012 (Vientiane, Laos). He spoke with the Tourism Chief Police officer. Everything got more complicated. But they look for a solution".
Nightrider70
Senior Member
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2011
- Bikes
- DRZ400SM
Most, if not all, communist regimes have called them self democratic or republic.
Republic of the Union of Myanmar
People's Republic of China
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Republic of Cuba
Democratic Kampuchea
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Lies and deception are fundamental to communism. If they said "support us and we take away your property, money, human rights and the ability to leave the country" they would not get many followers.
Just Bob
Senior Member
Still no word on Sombhat Somphone. Just thought I'd post the latest to keep the pressure on.
Laos under pressure over over abduction of activist - ANN
Laos under pressure over over abduction of activist - ANN
Lone Rider
Blokes Who Can
Another article on the disappearance of Sombath Somphone - "Gone Missing" - Civil society in Laos: Gone missing | The Economist
And an interview with Sombath's wife Ng Shui Meng by the Austalian Broadcasting Company.
Quote from Ng Shui Meng: "My husband is not a headline, he is a person. I hope that he will not slip away, and be forgotten."
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/in...activist-still-missing-three-weeks-on/1069920
"Lao activist still missing three weeks on"
And an interview with Sombath's wife Ng Shui Meng by the Austalian Broadcasting Company.
Quote from Ng Shui Meng: "My husband is not a headline, he is a person. I hope that he will not slip away, and be forgotten."
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/in...activist-still-missing-three-weeks-on/1069920
"Lao activist still missing three weeks on"
KTMphil
Senior member
This disappearance of Sombath Somphone is very sinister and sad for Laos.
Lone Rider
Blokes Who Can
An article in the Wall Street Journal on Sombath Somphone's disappearance.
======================================================================
Available at www.Sombath.org
*Is Laos Losing Its Way?*
The disappearance of a community leader threatens Vientiane's recent progress.
Murray Hiebert, Wall Street Journal, 08 January 2013
The year 2012 marked a coming of age for tiny landlocked Laos. In July Hillary Clinton became the first U.S. secretary of state since the 1950s to visit the country. The World Trade Organization formally voted in October to allow Laos into the trade grouping after years of negotiations. In early November, Laos's capital Vientiane hosted the Asia-Europe Meeting, which was attended by dozens of world leaders and senior officials, including the prime minister of China and the president of the European Council. Laos'estimated economic growth of 8.3% last year likely made it Southeast Asia's top economic performer.
But all this good news is dissipating like mist on the Mekong because of the country's suspicious response to the disappearance of an internationally recognized development leader. On Dec. 15, Sombath Somphone was driving on the outskirts of Vientiane when he was stopped in his Jeep by police and then transferred by non-uniformed men into another vehicle, as photo and video evidence from that day shows. No one has seen him since.
The Laos government has said it has no idea what happened to Mr. Sombath. Its official news agency speculated that his disappearance may have been prompted by a business or personal dispute. But diplomatic sources in Vientiane who have seen the footage of Mr. Sombath's roadside confrontation are convinced that he was taken and is being held by Laos's security apparatus.
For a country that relies on foreign assistance for roughly 70% of its budget, the agronomist's disappearance—and the government's subsequent unwillingness to forthrightly address it—has become a major headache. Few in Laos have built bridges between the foreign and local development communities as effectively as Sombath Somphone.
The oldest of eight siblings, he grew up in a poor rice farming family in southern Laos at the height of the Vietnam War. In the early 1970s, he received a scholarship to study education and agriculture at the University of Hawaii.
Sombath-magsaysay-smallI first met Mr. Sombath after he graduated in the late 1970s. I had worked in Laos with a small development agency from 1975, when communist forces seized control of the government, until early 1978. Mr. Sombath wanted to know whether he should return home to use his skills to aid the country's subsistence farmers. Many of his friends warned him not to go back, arguing that the new communist leaders would not tolerate a U.S.-educated agronomist working directly with Lao farmers.
Because of his gentle and soft-spoken personality, and his non-
political view of recent developments in Laos, I and others encouraged
Mr. Sombath to help his country increase rice production. Mr. Sombath
returned to Laos in 1979.
In 1996, he received authorization from Laos' education ministry to establish a center that provides community-based development training to young people and local officials. In recognition of his work, Mr. Sombath in 2005 was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, one of Asia's most prestigious awards for community service.
It is unclear why the country's security apparatus would have abducted Mr. Sombath. Some observers speculate that it was due to his high profile at the Asia-Europe People's Forum, held this fall. Mr. Sombath helped organize the event with the Foreign Ministry on the sidelines of the larger Asia-Europe Meeting, which was by far the largest international event ever hosted by Laos.
At a time when the world's eyes were on the country, some of the speakers at the people's forum raised concerns about environmental degradation and illicit land acquisition—two common problems stemming from no-holds-barred economic development in Laos and neighboring countries.
Some believe that Lao security officials detained Mr. Sombath to send a warning to others in the development community not to challenge the government and its economic agenda. Eight days before Mr. Sombath's abduction, the Lao government expelled the head of the Swiss NGO Helvetas for allegedly criticizing the government.
Laos appears caught in a dilemma that also troubled some of its other authoritarian neighbors like Vietnam and China. On one hand, the country wants to benefit from the rapid economic development sweeping Southeast Asia. On the other, government officials who took power at the height of the Cold War are wary about calls for increased political and economic openness.
Laos has recently sought to project a warmer, more business-friendly image in order to attract tourists and woo foreign investors beyond Chinese and Vietnamese mining and logging companies. The government should not undercut the country's potential by mishandling Mr. Sombath's case. Foreign governments should press the authorities to immediately investigate and be more forthcoming about the agronomist's whereabouts.
After reaching milestone after milestone in 2012, Laos is now at a crossroads. Unless Sombath Somphone is released soon, the Lao government should expect that his disappearance will damage the image of progress it has worked so hard to promote among donor agencies, foreign companies and tourists.
Mr. Hiebert is deputy director of the Chair for Southeast Asian Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.
======================================================================
Available at www.Sombath.org
*Is Laos Losing Its Way?*
The disappearance of a community leader threatens Vientiane's recent progress.
Murray Hiebert, Wall Street Journal, 08 January 2013
The year 2012 marked a coming of age for tiny landlocked Laos. In July Hillary Clinton became the first U.S. secretary of state since the 1950s to visit the country. The World Trade Organization formally voted in October to allow Laos into the trade grouping after years of negotiations. In early November, Laos's capital Vientiane hosted the Asia-Europe Meeting, which was attended by dozens of world leaders and senior officials, including the prime minister of China and the president of the European Council. Laos'estimated economic growth of 8.3% last year likely made it Southeast Asia's top economic performer.
But all this good news is dissipating like mist on the Mekong because of the country's suspicious response to the disappearance of an internationally recognized development leader. On Dec. 15, Sombath Somphone was driving on the outskirts of Vientiane when he was stopped in his Jeep by police and then transferred by non-uniformed men into another vehicle, as photo and video evidence from that day shows. No one has seen him since.
The Laos government has said it has no idea what happened to Mr. Sombath. Its official news agency speculated that his disappearance may have been prompted by a business or personal dispute. But diplomatic sources in Vientiane who have seen the footage of Mr. Sombath's roadside confrontation are convinced that he was taken and is being held by Laos's security apparatus.
For a country that relies on foreign assistance for roughly 70% of its budget, the agronomist's disappearance—and the government's subsequent unwillingness to forthrightly address it—has become a major headache. Few in Laos have built bridges between the foreign and local development communities as effectively as Sombath Somphone.
The oldest of eight siblings, he grew up in a poor rice farming family in southern Laos at the height of the Vietnam War. In the early 1970s, he received a scholarship to study education and agriculture at the University of Hawaii.
Sombath-magsaysay-smallI first met Mr. Sombath after he graduated in the late 1970s. I had worked in Laos with a small development agency from 1975, when communist forces seized control of the government, until early 1978. Mr. Sombath wanted to know whether he should return home to use his skills to aid the country's subsistence farmers. Many of his friends warned him not to go back, arguing that the new communist leaders would not tolerate a U.S.-educated agronomist working directly with Lao farmers.
Because of his gentle and soft-spoken personality, and his non-
political view of recent developments in Laos, I and others encouraged
Mr. Sombath to help his country increase rice production. Mr. Sombath
returned to Laos in 1979.
In 1996, he received authorization from Laos' education ministry to establish a center that provides community-based development training to young people and local officials. In recognition of his work, Mr. Sombath in 2005 was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, one of Asia's most prestigious awards for community service.
It is unclear why the country's security apparatus would have abducted Mr. Sombath. Some observers speculate that it was due to his high profile at the Asia-Europe People's Forum, held this fall. Mr. Sombath helped organize the event with the Foreign Ministry on the sidelines of the larger Asia-Europe Meeting, which was by far the largest international event ever hosted by Laos.
At a time when the world's eyes were on the country, some of the speakers at the people's forum raised concerns about environmental degradation and illicit land acquisition—two common problems stemming from no-holds-barred economic development in Laos and neighboring countries.
Some believe that Lao security officials detained Mr. Sombath to send a warning to others in the development community not to challenge the government and its economic agenda. Eight days before Mr. Sombath's abduction, the Lao government expelled the head of the Swiss NGO Helvetas for allegedly criticizing the government.
Laos appears caught in a dilemma that also troubled some of its other authoritarian neighbors like Vietnam and China. On one hand, the country wants to benefit from the rapid economic development sweeping Southeast Asia. On the other, government officials who took power at the height of the Cold War are wary about calls for increased political and economic openness.
Laos has recently sought to project a warmer, more business-friendly image in order to attract tourists and woo foreign investors beyond Chinese and Vietnamese mining and logging companies. The government should not undercut the country's potential by mishandling Mr. Sombath's case. Foreign governments should press the authorities to immediately investigate and be more forthcoming about the agronomist's whereabouts.
After reaching milestone after milestone in 2012, Laos is now at a crossroads. Unless Sombath Somphone is released soon, the Lao government should expect that his disappearance will damage the image of progress it has worked so hard to promote among donor agencies, foreign companies and tourists.
Mr. Hiebert is deputy director of the Chair for Southeast Asian Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.
Just Bob
Senior Member
The heat is turned up. Hilary Clinton chiming in today;
"Clinton calls on Laos to locate missing social activist"
Clinton calls on Laos to locate missing social activist - The Washington Post
Even an article today in the Vientiane Times;
" . More >>> - Lao authorities continue to investigate Mr Sombath Somphone's disappearance
Parliamentarians from the three Asean nations of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia visited Laos recently to meet with the relevant sectors on the issue relating to the disappearance of Mr Sombath Somphone last month."
I'm not a subscriber so I couldn't read the whole story.
"Clinton calls on Laos to locate missing social activist"
Clinton calls on Laos to locate missing social activist - The Washington Post
Even an article today in the Vientiane Times;
" . More >>> - Lao authorities continue to investigate Mr Sombath Somphone's disappearance
Parliamentarians from the three Asean nations of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia visited Laos recently to meet with the relevant sectors on the issue relating to the disappearance of Mr Sombath Somphone last month."
I'm not a subscriber so I couldn't read the whole story.
Lone Rider
Blokes Who Can
From the Facebook page of the US Embassy in Vientiane: https://www.facebook.com/pages/US-Embassy-Vientiane/82124194915?ref=stream
View attachment 14137
View attachment 14137
