Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Laos on the disappearance of Sombath Somphone.

The UK continues to raise the case of Sombath Somphone's disappearance with the Lao authorities, both bilaterally and through multilateral fora such as the UN Human Rights Council. Most recently, on 3 September 2025, the previous Minister for the Indo-Pacific raised the case with the Laos Deputy Foreign Minister during the UK-Laos Political Dialogue. This followed up on her visit to Laos in April, where she also raised the issue. The UK remains committed to supporting human rights in Laos and will continue to raise this case.