[ndlr] Arrestations de trois jeunes opposants au Laos.

Lao police have publicly acknowledged that the arrest of three Lao workers who returned home from Thailand to renew their passports for the offense of criticizing the government and the ruling communist party via social media while abroad.

Somphone Phimmasone, 29, his girlfriend Lod Thammasong, 30, and Soukane Chaithad, 32, disappeared after returning to Laos earlier this year to renew their passports, their family and friends told RFA’s Lao Service in a previous report.

“Special police forces suppressed a group of bad people who have campaigned to accuse and condemn the direction of the state and party through Facebook,” the Ministry of Public Security and police announced on a state security television channel on Wednesday.

“It’s true that the three of them were arrested,” a policeman who works at the TV channel told RFA’s Laos service on Friday.

“They were at the press conference which was held only for the state security TV channel and newspaper yesterday,” he said. “Other media were not allowed to cover the event.”

The security channel showed the three making what appeared to be public confessions. They apologized to the communist party, government, Lao people and their relatives for making the mistake of getting involved with the group that protested against the country’s policies.

Lire la suite : RFA, 27/05/216. Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

Voir aussi :

• Three Lao Nationals Are Latest Victims of Forced Disappearances, RFA, 16/05/2016.

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