Rights Group Alleges Vietnam Abducted Australian and Norwegian Activists From Cambodia

A pro-democracy organisation has accused Vietnamese agents of abducting two of its members — an Australian and a Norwegian — in Cambodia and forcibly taking them across the border into Vietnam.

Vietnamese authorities confirmed they detained Tran Hiep and Nguyen Duc Thuan on 18 September, saying the men were intercepted at the border in Tay Ninh province with forged documents and had confessed to membership of Viet Tan, an organisation Hanoi designates as a terrorist group.

Viet Tan strongly denied the charges, calling the arrests a 'blatant fabrication intended to conceal the fact that the Viet Tan members were abducted in Cambodia and forcibly taken to Vietnam.' The group said the two were travelling in Kaoh Andaet, a southern Cambodian border district, when they disappeared and had not been heard from since 18 September.

Statements From Family, Authorities And Rights Groups

Tran's wife, Chloe Dang, told Australian media that he had been meeting pro-democracy activists in Cambodia and had no intention of travelling into Vietnam. She said Tran was due to meet her in Bangkok to return to Australia but never arrived. 'He always knew there was a risk doing human rights work, but we never thought that this would happen,' she told the ABC.

Vietnamese state media reported that a third man, named by authorities as Thai Cong Truong Son, was detained with Tran and Nguyen. The report quoted the three as admitting to membership of Viet Tan and to using forged papers to enter Vietnam illegally to carry out 'terrorist and sabotage activities.' Authorities said Tran and Nguyen were formally charged with membership of a terrorist organisation while investigations continue 'to clarify the criminal acts of the suspects in order to handle them according to the law.'

Viet Tan: 'A state orchestrating the abduction of individuals abroad and forcibly taking them to its territory is a serious act of transnational repression. It violates Cambodia's sovereignty and the fundamental principles of international law.'

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said consular support was being provided to Tran's family and that the Australian government would continue to engage directly with them. Phil Robertson, Director of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates, condemned Vietnam's actions as 'an unacceptable outrage' and accused Hanoi of practicing transnational repression in the region.

The Vietnamese and Cambodian authorities have been contacted for comment. The case remains under investigation and has prompted international concern over alleged cross-border abductions and the treatment of dissidents.