www.amerilao.org
November 4th, 2009

More than 300 persons, who wre preparing for a pacific protest in Vientiane to call for '' human rights respect' ' and a '' multipartite system '' were arrested on Monday 2 November 2009 by the '' secret police '' of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), according to informations received today by the Lao Movement for Human Rights (MLDH).

The source detailed that '' several hundred persons' ' would have been '' simultaneously arrested at diffrent places in the country'' early in the morning of November 2 nd , 2009 : '' more than 100 persons at Pakkading, Bolikhamsay province (Center), more than 20 persons at Phon Hong, Vientiane province (Center) while they were travelling to the That Luang annual festival in Vientiane (Center), and more than 200 persons in the capital, before they were able to gather together for a pacific protest ''.

The 2 November 2009 protest aimed to claim for '' a real democracy, human rights respect, the cancellation of the Laos-Vietnam Cooperation Treaty of 1977, the release of all political prisoners and a multipartite system'' , as reported by informations sent from inside the LPDR.

If the majority of the persons arrested yesterday have been released, many of them are still detained at this moment, among whom '' Mrs Kingkeo (39), Misters Soubin (35), Souane (50), Sinpasong (43) and Khamsone (36) arrested in Phon Hong; Mr Nou (54) arrested in Pakkading; Ms Somchit (29), Misters Somkhit (28) and Sourigna (26) arrested in Vientiane '' according to this same informations.

The Lao Movement for Human Rights is highly concerned by these disturbing news and asks the LPDR authorities to account clear explanations of these arrests and to immediatly release these persons whose only action seem to wish for a pacific protest in favour of democracy and human rights.

The Lao Movement for Human Rights sadly notes that these alarming news come only a month after the ratification by the LPDR of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which guarantees to the Lao people the freedom of belief, freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of the press, as well as the rights to protest and political rights.

The news also happened a week after the 10 th anniversary of the ''Student Movement of 26 October 1999'' whose leaders have been emprisoned for 10 years in the LPDR jails.