Human Rights Watch has called on Vietnam's communist government to release three members of the Viet Tan movement without conditions. The men disappeared from Cambodia near the border, and in a statement issued on Wednesday, October 14, the rights group said their disappearance reflects a serious violation of cross-border rights.

Three men charged with terrorism

Two of the men hold Norwegian citizenship and one holds Australian citizenship. They are Nguyen Duc Thuan, Tran Hiep (also known as Ho Pham Hiep Huy), and Thai Cong Truong. Vietnamese authorities accuse the three of belonging to an illegal movement opposed to the government in Hanoi and of forging travel documents to enter Vietnam. Their relatives deny that the men ever intended to enter Vietnam.

The men vanished on September 18 after travelling into Cambodia from Thailand. Vietnam has since charged them with terrorism under Articles 299 and 341. Human Rights Watch reported that two of the men were scheduled to fly back to their countries of residence on September 19. Nguyen Duc Thuan has diabetes and needs daily insulin injections.

Cambodia's Interior Ministry has confirmed that the men, who hold Norwegian and Australian citizenship, entered Cambodia, but it said there is no record of them leaving. Observers say this answer amounts to saying they do not know, and that it offers little real explanation.

A pattern of abductions

The case has brought back memories of Tim Sakhorn, a former monk of Khmer Krom origin who had lived in Cambodia since 1978. In 2007, Cambodian authorities, working with Vietnamese officials, detained him at a pagoda in Phnom Den district of Takeo province. He was then held for more than a year in a prison in An Giang province, Vietnam. Vietnamese authorities later produced documents claiming he had entered Vietnam illegally, and then claiming he had voluntarily returned there to live.

Human Rights Watch has also demanded the release of other activists held by Vietnam. They include Chau Van Kham, Nguyen Van Vien, and Tran Van Quyen, who were sentenced in 2019 to 12, 11, and 10 years in prison, respectively. Authorities arrested activist Le Quoc Binh in 2018. In May 2026, they took Le Thanh Son, Nguyen Thanh Hung, and former prisoner of conscience Huy Trung Ca in for questioning.

Vietnamese security agents have also repeatedly seized citizens living in other countries. Cases have been reported in Germany and Thailand, among others. The people named include Trinh Xuan Thanh, Truong Duy Nhat, Duong Van Thai, Le Trung Khoa, Nguyen Van Dai, Doan Bao Chau, Dinh Yum, Siu Di, and Dang Thi Hue.