Lao People's Democratic Republic

On June 15th it is six months since Sombath disappeared. Amnesty International has released a report in which they state that Sombath “is most likely a victim of an enforced disappearance at the hands of the authorities.”

Delegates of the 9th Asia European Heads of Government Meeting (ASEM9) may not have known that the luxury villas, in which they met, had displaced a thriving farming community. But the story of the land grab is all too familiar one and casts doubt on the commitment of Asian and European nations to work for food security and sustainable development.