[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5038-5039]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   DISAPPEARANCE OF SOMBATH SOMPHONE

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I rise today to express my concern with the 
lack of progress in the case of Sombath Somphone, who has been missing 
in Laos since December 2012. Mr. Somphone disappeared while working on 
civil society development, and despite repeated calls by the U.S. 
government for a transparent investigation and Mr. Somphone's safe 
return to his family, his disappearance is still unexplained.
  A respected member of the development community, Mr. Somphone has 
lived and worked for many years in Laos and his efforts to strengthen 
Laotian civil society are well documented.

[[Page 5039]]

The circumstances of his disappearance are mysterious, and, given his 
high profile, more than troubling. Furthermore, the lack of effort on 
the part of the Laotian government to investigate what has been 
described by many international observers as a forced disappearance is 
deeply disappointing.
  Mr. Somphone's courageous work on behalf of political freedom and the 
protection of human rights in Laos is admirable, and he and others who 
engage in such pursuits should not fear for their safety, especially at 
the hands of a government. Despite repeated offers of international 
assistance and numerous inquiries about Mr. Somphone's welfare, the 
Laotian government appears satisfied despite having made no progress on 
the case.
  I call on Laotian authorities to recognize the importance this has 
for Members of Congress and the American people, and people around the 
world, and to take all actions necessary to enable Mr. Somphone to 
return home to his family.

                          ____________________