老挝政府否认涉入活动人士失踪

The government of Laos is denying responsibility for the disappearance of a prominent social activist, but human rights groups disagree, saying security camera footage suggests he was detained by Lao authorities.

Sombath Somphone was last seen Saturday in the capital of Vientiane, when his jeep was stopped by authorities outside a police post. Video footage appears to show him being taken away with two unidentified men.

The Lao Foreign Affairs Ministry says a preliminary assessment of the footage suggests the 60-year-old activist may have been "kidnapped because of a personal conflict or conflict in business."

It said the government has no information on Sombath\'s whereabouts, but that authorities are "seriously investigating."

外界最后一次看见苏马巴斯.司马富恩，是上星期六在首都万象。当时他驾驶的吉普车在一个派出所外被当局人员拦截。录像显示他被两位身份不明的人带走。

老挝外交部说，对录像的初步评估是，这位60岁的活动人士可能“因为私人冲突或者经济纠纷被劫持”。

外交部说，政府对苏马巴斯在何处没有任何信息，但是当局在“认真调查”。