Dear Friends and Family,
I received the following from Ryan Chicovsky's mother Judy this morning. Ryan is a Lopez Island young man who went missing in Laos on approx. March 13th. It absolutely breaks my heart to read this. At this point there is still no word on what happened to Ryan. Judy would like us all to help her and family put pressure on the Laos government to get at the truth. I am asking you to send this onto your friends, your family, post it on your blog, or website, call your local newspaper, write emails, put Ryan and family in your prayers and thoughts, anything you can think of to help this family.
We are powerful and we are a network of people. Maybe you know someone in Laos, someone who has recently traveled there, or someone in some high government place. Or your friends do. I don't know. But we need to get this out more and keep Ryan in the forefront of our thoughts so the family can have some resolution.
I am including below several things. First, Judy's letter received today May 1st. Second a posting that Judy and David posted on Lonely Planet Laos travel site on April 29th. Third, addresses for our local represenatives. I have not been able to find addresses for the Laos government. If someone finds Laos government addresses or other appropriate Asian travel forums please send to me. Please send any and all of this email to your friends. I encourage you to distribute this widely. This is someone we know. A wonderful strong, smart, caring young man from our small Lopez Island community who was last seen giving gifts to local villagers. Absolutely heart-wrenching. Thank you for your help, positive thoughts and prayers.
Sue
Letter from Judy, Ryan's mother:
Dear family and friends,
As you know we have been in Hong Kong and Laos since April 3 searching for our son Ryan, since he was last seen leaving his guesthouse in Xieng Kok, Laos. We want everyone to realize how much your love, caring, support, thoughts and prayers have meant to us; we are and always will be so very grateful.
Ryan entered Laos on March 5 by bus from Kumning, China after spending 6 months teaching English in Xian and Wienan. He planned to spend one month traveling in Laos before meeting us in Hong Kong on April 3 for 3 weeks of touring China together. He told people he would be “out of touch” for a while since he planned to take a “Trek” in the Nam Ha National Protected Area and entering into very rural and mountainous regions of northwestern Laos.
From March 9 to 11 Ryan did spend 3 days on a trek from Muang Sing with a licensed guide, recording his “wonderful time” in his journal and taking many photos, all of which we have. After that he went by bus and on foot to an “end of the road” Mekong River trading town, Xieng Kok; there is no phone service there and electricity only a few hours a day. He had consulted The Lonely Planet Guide to Southeast Asia, but had left it in Kunming; he was traveling alone, planning to join others along the way. He spent several days there from March 11 to 13, at the Khem Khong guesthouse. March 13 and 14 were the days of the bi-monthly trade fair where traders from China, Burma, Thailand and Laos come to buy and sell their wares. Many different hill tribes, particularly the Akha come also. Ryan was seen at the fair buying clothes for Akha villagers and delivering the gifts.
He took lots of photos and talked to many villagers. Residents of the village are Lao, Akha, Thai Lu and Thai Dham, with a number of itinerant Chinese working at the sawmill, and Chinese boatmen loading and unloading much cargo, legal and illegal (opium and methamphetamines) from barges and trucks. Hill tribe villages, some very small, surround the area. Much of the forest is being logged and the hills burned for future rubber tree planting funded by Chinese. It is a very rough region.
On March 31, while still on Lopez Island preparing for our trip, we received a phone call from the US Embassy that Ryan had been reported missing from his guesthouse in Xieng Kok; all his belongings were left in his room. This information had taken 17 days to be transmitted from local and provincial police to the US Embassy in Vientiane, the capital.
We were and still remain devastated. A team from the Embassy was immediately sent to Xieng Kok for interviews and investigation and returned with other personnel 2 more times. People at the upper level of the Lao government have stated their concern, but this does not seem to translate down to local and provincial levels of police; although the police have been to Xieng Kok many times they have been almost totally inept, ineffective and uncaring. Many interviews have been conducted but much of what has been said are lies and often people simply will not talk. What is the fear? Why won’t someone come forward with the truth of what happened to Ryan, who will turn 25 May 3.
Because we felt we were getting nowhere we hired Trident Crisis Management Group, security and investigative consultants from Miami, Florida. They have spent incredible hours of harrowing travels and interviews; at last they were driven out of the village and province by the police, threatened by roadblocks and weapons.
As of today, May 1, we still have no real idea of the whereabouts of our son Ryan. Another team from the US Embassy along with the Trident Group will return to Xieng Kok to conduct more interviews which will hopefully provide good information.
We are asking everyone who knows and cares for Ryan to help us find him. All Embassy personnel from Ambassador Patricia Haslach to the many others who worked with us have been totally caring, efficient, compassionate and so hard working. But the Lao government, an authoritarian, Communist, one-party government, must be pressured to find the truth of Ryan’s disappearance; they cannot just hope it will go away. It will not. Perhaps the only way is a threat to their tourism economy. Travelers throughout the world should be aware that it is becoming more unsafe to travel in areas of Laos.
Please write, call and email everyone you can to help us find our son, Ryan. Thank you so very, very much.
Sincerely,
Judy Frane and David Chicovsky, Tasha and Keenan Chicovsky
Posted on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree Forum on April 29th
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messagepost.cfm?postaction=reply&catid=51&threadid=1088954&messid=9347935&STARTPAGE=1&parentid=0&from=1
We are searching for our son, Ryan Chicovsky, who was last seen in Xieng Kok, Laos, March 13. He had entered Laos from Boten, China on March 6, traveled to Luang Namtha, staying March 7. He went to Mung Sing March 8 and spent three days on a Trek. We would like to talk to the two people who were on the same Trek. Ryan then traveled to Xieng Kok, staying at the Khemkhong guesthouse. He talked with many people in the village (he spoke Chinese very well; he had studied in Kunming with a Study Abroad program from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington and taught English in Wien and Xian, China) and spoke a little bit of Lao. There was a bimonthly trade fair at that time with hill tribe people there, Chinese people who worked at the sawmill and on the barges and boats and probably other nationalities. Ryan took many photos, bought clothing and blankets and gave them to Akha villagers. We believe he was planning to leave March 14 with a Dutchman, possibly with a slight limp, traveling with a Japanese woman (the guesthouse did not keep records) and take a boat down the Mekong. Many people have been "interviewed" by US Embassy personnel and Lao police, but no one in the village will talk. We would like to find the two people who wanted to go with him down the river; and we need to find our son, Ryan. He will be 25 May 3. Please help if you can. Thank you, his parents
Ryan is listed as missing on the US Embassy in Laos missing person web site.
http://usembassy.state.gov/laos/wwwfmissing.pdf
Our Washington State local represenatives:
Rick Larsen in Everett Toll-free: (800) 562-1385
Rick.Larsen@mail.house.gov
Patty Murray in Seattle Phone: (206) 553-5545
or email: http://murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm
Maria Cantwell Phone: 1-888-648-7328
or email: http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/
conslao@state.gov (the consulate in Laos)
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