Sombath Somphone

Sombath Somphone (Lao: ສົມບັດ ສົມພອນ, born 17 February 1952 in Khammouane Province, Laos) is an internationally acclaimed community development worker and prominent member of Lao civil society.

Biography

Sombath Somphone was born into a poor farming family, the eldest of 8 brothers and sisters. He studied part of his high school in Wisconsin, USA. In the early 1970s he received a scholarship to study at the University of Hawaii where he received a Bachelors degree in Education (1974) and a Masters degree in Agriculture (1978).

Returning to his home country after the establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Sombath’s earliest work was to demonstrate methods of sustainable farming that contribute to food security. He also pioneered the use of participatory rural appraisal techniques in Laos. In 1996 he was given permission by the Ministry of Education to establish the Participatory Development Training Center, PADETC, to provide training for young people and local government officials in community-based development. For some years, this was the only civil society organisation of this kind in Laos.

Recognition

Sombath Somphone (on right) with Desmond Tutu in 2006

In 2001, Sombath Somphone received the Human Resource Development Award for empowering the rural poor in Laos from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

In 2005, he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership. The citation for his award recognizes his hopeful efforts to promote sustainable development in Laos by training and motivating its young people to become a generation of leaders. Sombath remains the only person from the Lao PDR to receive this award.

In 2010, the East-West Center recognised his work in their anniversay publication '50 Years, 50 Stories'. In 2011, Sombath made the keynote address at the 10th API Regional Workshop; API is a network of Asian Public Intellectuals supported by fellowships from the Nippon Foundation. In 2012, he made the keynote address at the 9th Meeting of the Asia-Europe People's Forum (AEPF) in Vientiane; the International Organising Committee of the AEPF have called Sombath one of the most respected and influential voices for sustainable people-centred and just economic and social development in Laos.

Disappearance

Sombath Somphone was abducted in Vientiane on the evening of 15 December 2012. CCTV footage shows that he was stopped by police and then taken away in a pickup truck. The Lao Government has denied responsibility for his disappearance.

The disappearance of Sombath Somphone was immediately followed by statements of concern from around the world. The European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Parliamentarians from Asia and Europe, International NGOs – and many others – have urged the Lao Government to undertake all actions necessary to ensure the safe release of this resepected figure. One month after Sombath disappeared, United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, issued a statement urging the Lao Government to pursue a transparent investigation of this incident and to do everything in its power to bring about an immediate and safe return home to his family. Two days later, Amnesty International also issued a call for urgent action

External links

• Website dedicated to the safe return of Sombath Somphone
• Website of the Training Center founded by Sombath Somphone
• Activists slam Asean's lack of commitment to human rights