<p>Sombath Somphone was abducted from the middle of Lao PDR&rsquo;s capital Vientiane in 2012. A decade later, the perpetrators have not been brought to justice, his fate is still unknown, and his friends still hope for some progress in the case.</p>

<p>On the seventh anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, 88 organizations urge the Lao and Thai governments to investigate enforced disappearances, and demand Vientiane finally reveal Sombath&rsquo;s whereabouts and ensure justice for him and his family.</p>

<div>Five years after the abduction of the prominent, internationally acclaimed Lao development worker Sombath Somphone by Lao state agents, the Lao government has done very little to find the truth, experts said. Meanwhile, the enforced disappearance of Sombath has raised debates about the Lao government’s ambition to boost its economy through development projects, while it continues to suppress civil rights.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>15 December 2017 marks five years since Sombath was last seen by his family. </div>

<p>The&nbsp;<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.hrw.org/asia/laos&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1481855949437000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEh02e8dmnG2-4oiAoAD10BZIzIJg" href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/laos" target="_blank">Lao</a>&nbsp;government has made no progress accounting for civil society leader Sombath Somphone, who was forcibly disappeared on December 15, 2012, Human Rights Watch said today. Four years after he was stopped at a police checkpoint in the capital, Vientiane, the government needs to provide information on his fate or whereabouts.<br /></p>

<div>December 14, 2014 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird issued the following statement today on the second anniversary of the disappearance of Sombath Somphone, a prominent civil society leader in Laos, who was last seen at a police checkpoint in Vientiane on December 15, 2012:</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“Canada is concerned that after two years, the Laotian government has been unable to provide further information on Mr. Sombath’s whereabouts. We call upon Laos to respect its international commitments, and to fully and transparently investigate and report on Mr. Sombath’s disappearance. </div>

<div><span>On the second anniversary of the enforced disappearance of prominent Lao civil society leader Sombath Somphone, we, the undersigned regional and international organizations, firmly condemn the Lao government’s ongoing refusal to provide any information regarding Sombath’s fate or whereabouts.</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The Lao government’s deliberate silence on Sombath is part of a strategy that aims at consigning to oblivion the heinous crime of enforced disappearance. </div>

<div> <div>Two years after the abduction of the prominent, internationally acclaimed Lao development worker Sombath Somphone by Lao state agents, the Lao government has done very little to find the truth, experts say. Meanwhile, the disappearance and lack of justice has effectively created a climate of fear which has worsened the human rights situation in Laos.&nbsp;</div> </div>

<div>23 September 2014</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The Lao government should share all information on the investigation into the abduction of Sombath Somphone with family members and independent parties, ending its deceptive game of hiding behind national sovereignty to excuse it from engaging in a sincere conversation regarding the investigation into his disappearance, Southeast Asian lawmakers said today.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>“The Lao authorities have erected a brick wall of silence on this investigation, so much so that the only intelligent conclusion is that </div>

<p>Today (August 30) is the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_the_Disappeared">International Day of the Disappeared</a>. Shui Meng has shared the following letter with friends and colleagues to call attention to this terrible practice.</p> <p>A number of groups and media organisations are doing research on the number and nature of Enforced Disappearances in Laos. If you have any&nbsp;<em>verifiable, documented</em>evidence, please share it.</p> <p></p>