ລາວໂຮມລາວ ເພື່ອປະຊາທິປະໄຕ

ລວມທັງພວກລາວພັດຖິ່ນ ພວກບໍ່ມີແຜນດິນຢູ່ hahaha

TURN LAOS TO FREEDOM AND STOP VIETNAM'S CONTROL OF LAOS NOW

Lao Civil Society Pressured to Drop Rights Issues From ASEAN Forum

Civil society organizations in Laos are under pressure to omit key concerns from a list of regional human rights issues to be raised on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia this week and "fear for their safety" if they attempt to do so, a CSO official said Wednesday.

The groups dare not raise the concerns during the April 21-24 ASEAN Peoples' Forum (APF)--intended to provide civil society with a platform to address ASEAN leaders--because they fear retribution for criticizing government policy, the CSO official told RFA's Lao Service.

"[The CSOs] will talk mostly about gender roles only, but not other issues such as land rights, the impact of hydropower dams ... and enforced disappearance, because they are afraid for their safety," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official said the majority of authentic CSOs in Laos "do not want to attend the forum," especially those which focus on human rights issues, but that the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of the Interior had persuaded other "irrelevant" organizations to go in their place.

Lao activists told RFA last month that a retired Lao official serving as a proxy for the authoritarian government in the capital Vientiane had unsuccessfully lobbied the APF to erase the name of Sombath Somphone--a prominent civil rights leader who has been missing for more than two years--from its list of human rights and governance problems in Southeast Asia.

However, a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has told RFA that the Lao government "never intervenes in or controls the work of CSOs" and only seeks to "facilitate and cooperate" with the groups.

Sombath went missing on Dec. 15, 2012, when police stopped him in his vehicle at a checkpoint in the capital. He was then transferred to another vehicle, according to police surveillance video, and has not been heard from since.

Rights groups suspect that Lao officials were involved in or aware of the abduction of Sombath, who received the 2005 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership--Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize--for his work in the fields of education and development.

Lao officials have yet to state a reason for his disappearance or make any progress in the case, which has become a major headache for the Vientiane government, drawing criticism from European and U.S. development partners and aid donors and attention from the United Nations.

Upcoming chairmanship

In 2016, Laos will assume chairmanship of the 10-member ASEAN coalition and will host the APF, but forum chairman Jerald Joseph told RFA the country's leadership must demonstrate a greater commitment towards improving human rights and progress on Sombath's case before it can earn the trust of CSO participants.

"We think that any chairmanship who is organizing the next summit must answer these questions and if they are not forthcoming with answers then it will really create doubt in many peoples' minds: 'should we go to Laos or organize the APF in Laos?'," Joseph said.

"I think it is up to the government of Laos to open up ... and have more disclosure on information about what really happened to Sombath, and then it can build confidence and people will feel ... it is safe to go in."

Joseph said Lao CSOs are too closely influenced by the government in Vientiane and that ASEAN needs to do more to help them operate with greater freedom.

"NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) should have the confidence and empowerment to be more independent away from government. I feel in Laos it's not there yet. NGOs in Laos are not fit to be too critical of what's happening in the country," he said.

"So I think that's something that really needs to open up ... and I think governments must be comfortable with people who are critical of you or disagree with you ... this is something ASEAN should do for our countries."

Joseph was adamant that the Lao government refrain from interfering in the APF process.

ບັກທອງສິງ ທຳມະວົງ ອອກມາປະກາດຜົນງານ
ມັນເວົ້າວ່າ ປະເທດລາວ
ຫຼຸດພົ້ນອອກຈາກຄວາມທຸກຍາກແລ້ວ

ເຊີນເລີຍ, ສົນໃຈໄປກໍ່ຈະມີຫຍັງກະທົບກະເທືອນເຂົາໄດ້

ຂົນໜ້າແຄ່ງເຂົາກໍ່ຍັງບໍ່ຫລົ່ນແມ່ນແຕ່ເສັ້ນດຽວ

Dear all students in. LAO. you don't need wait for help from another peoples out side come help. all of you have to get  together stand up get down walk on street .U.N. ready all the time to go help if all of you in protest. if you don't help yourself then who will don't cry for help be strong all of you take communist out  from LAO  or watch LAOOVERSEASTV   OR SENGDAO50 on youtube

Anonymous wrote:

---

ເຊີນເລີຍ, ສົນໃຈໄປກໍ່ຈະມີຫຍັງກະທົບກະເທືອນເຂົາໄດ້

ຂົນໜ້າແຄ່ງເຂົາກໍ່ຍັງບໍ່ຫລົ່ນແມ່ນແຕ່ເສັ້ນດຽວ

 

 how they have hair leg to fall everything red vietnam take all. you don't have to  try to stop us we are not scare

 

---

Anonymous wrote: look at communist do is to LAO  how beautiful LAO growth that's dog chummary dog thngsing said all big lied lied lied

---

ບັກທອງສິງ ທຳມະວົງ ອອກມາປະກາດຜົນງານ
ມັນເວົ້າວ່າ ປະເທດລາວ
ຫຼຸດພົ້ນອອກຈາກຄວາມທຸກຍາກແລ້ວ

---