Rights groups call for probe into shooting of Lao activist

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Human rights groups are calling for an investigation into the shooting of a political and social activist in Laos whose posts on Facebook criticized the Southeast Asian nation’s communist government. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Anousa Luangsuphom was killed in the attack at a coffee shop in Vientiane, the capital. Amnesty International said in a statement calling for an investigation of the shooting that it had not been able to independently verify whether Anousa had died. It described him as a ”vocal critic of the Lao government and society.” It said Anousa ran a Facebook page called “Driven by the Keyboard” which featured posts on a wide range of social, environmental, economic and political issues.