AFP, Bangkok

A Laotian political activist who was reported to have died after being shot twice at close range in fact survived the attack, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. Anousa “Jack” Luangsuphom was shot in the face and side in a Vientiane cafe on Saturday and was reported dead by HRW, Amnesty International, a Laos newspaper and the dissident Facebook page he helped to run. Yesterday, however, HRW said it had received confirmation from family and other sources that Anousa was still alive and being treated in hospital. “Reports received from multiple sources that Anousa ‘Jack’ Luangsuphom died on the way to the hospital on April 29, 2023, proved to be false,” HRW said in a statement. The statement came after a post on a Facebook page late on Wednesday, saying he had survived the attack.