A pro-democracy group accused the Vietnamese government of abducting Australian and Norwegian citizens in Cambodia and subsequently moving them to Vietnam. Vietnamese authorities subsequently arrested Tran Hiep and Nguyen Duc Thuan.
Authorities claim the men entered Vietnam using forged documents and intended to plan terrorist activities. Furthermore, Vietnamese authorities assert that the men confessed to being members of Viet Tan, an organisation Vietnam considers terrorist.
A Vietnamese state media report indicated that the trio were detained at the border in Tay Ninh province on 18 September. That same state media report stated the group confessed to membership in 'Tan' and carrying fake papers for illegal entry and terrorist acts.
On Monday, the trio faced charges related to membership in a terrorist organisation. Tran's wife stated that he was meeting pro-democracy activists in Cambodia and had no plan to travel to Vietnam.
Tan stated that "A state orchestrating the abduction of individuals abroad and forcibly taking them to its territory is a serious act of transnational repression." The group also asserted that such actions violate Cambodia's sovereignty and fundamental international law principles.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that consular support was being given to Tran's family. Phil Robertson, Director of Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates, commented that "Hanoi is arguably the most vicious and pernicious practitioner of transnational repression today in Southeast Asia."
