Laos: Further information on Fear of torture/fear for safety

Index Number: ASA 26/007/2003
Date Published: 24 June 2003
Categories: Asia And The Pacific, Laos

On 20 June, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the arrest and detention of the four Lao nationals. Their names and whereabouts however, have not been made public. There are concerns for their safety and that of their driver Pa Fue Khang, as Amnesty International has numerous first hand and other reliable reports of widespread torture and ill-treatment in police custody and prisons in Laos, particularly of ethnic Hmong.