Vietnam detains 3 men on terrorism charges, including Norwegian and Australian citizens

BANGKOK -- Police in Vietnam have detained three members of a pro-democracy group, including a Norwegian citizen and an Australian national of Vietnamese origin, on terrorism allegations, according to the government and the organization.

The three men said they were members of Viet Tan, a U.S.-based pro-democracy group that Vietnam’s Communist government considers a terrorist organization, Vietnam’s Ministry ‌of Public Security said.

Critics have accused the Hanoi government of carrying out “transnational repression” against dissidents. Vietnam's communist government tolerates little dissent and tightly controls the media.

Viet Tan said that the men were detained in Cambodia. Vietnamese authorities said they were apprehended by the police after they entered Vietnam on Sept. 18.

The ministry identified the men as Nguyen Duc Thuan, 52, Ho Pham Hiep Huy, 51, and 46-year-old Thai Cong Truong Son. They are accused of forging seals and official documents and said Huy had an Australian passport while Thuan had a Norwegian one.

Rights group rejects terrorism allegations

Viet Tan rejected the allegations and called for the men's immediate release. It urged Norway and Australia to seek direct access to the men and verify their condition.

The rights group accused Vietnam of “transnational repression,” saying Thuan and Hiep had disappeared on Sept. 18 while traveling in Kaoh Andaet, a district in Cambodia's Takeo province bordering Vietnam.

“Viet Tan strongly condemns the abduction of two of its members in Cambodia and the fabricated charges issued by the Vietnamese communist authorities to cover up an act of transnational repression,” it said.

Viet Tan didn't confirm whether Son was a member, and Vietnamese authorities provided no information about his nationality.

Asked about the case on Tuesday during a press conference in Adelaide, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government is “continuing to deal, including engaging with the family involved and provide consular assistance. That’s what Australian governments do for our citizens. And we’ll continue to engage directly with the family.”

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was “making urgent inquiries with Vietnamese authorities to confirm reports that an Australian citizen has been detained.”

Transnational repression is a major issue in Southeast Asia

Transnational repression has drawn increasing scrutiny from human rights groups in recent years. Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and China have been accused of entering quid pro quo arrangements to return dissidents sought by one another’s governments.

Freedom House, a U.S.-based democracy advocacy organization that tracks transnational repression, warned in 2024 that the practice was “becoming a ‘normal’ phenomenon” as more governments used it to silence dissent.

The organization said some attacks were carried out unilaterally, but most depended on the cooperation or exploitation of institutions in the host country.

It said common tactics such as detention, unlawful deportation and forced return frequently involved host-country authorities helping a person’s government secure their transfer.

Thailand extradited a dissident to Vietnam last year

Late last year, Thailand extradited Vietnamese activist Y Quynh Bdap who had been detained in Bangkok since 2024 despite warning from rights groups that he could be in danger if sent back to Vietnam. Bdap is a co-founder of the Montagnards Stand for Justice group.

Vietnam has long faced criticism from rights groups for its treatment of the Montagnard minority, a term broadly used to refer to several predominantly Christian ethnic groups living in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and neighboring Cambodia.

Bdap had been accused by Vietnamese authorities of organizing anti-government riots in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak in 2023, in which nine people were killed, including four police officers and two government officials. He denied the charges and fled to Thailand, and was convicted in absentia in Vietnam in January on terrorism charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The new case has drawn fresh criticism of Vietnam's alleged political repression.

“Vietnamese authorities’ confirmation that they detained human rights and democracy activists Nguyen Duc Thuan and Tran Hiep demonstrates yet again that Hanoi is arguably the most vicious and pernicious practitioner of transnational repression today in Southeast Asia,” Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights & Labour Advocates, said in an emailed statement.

“Norway and Australia, whose nationals were abducted, should lead a global effort to penalize Vietnam’s flouting of both international human rights law and the sovereignty of neighboring states, and demand the immediate and unconditional release of these two men,” he added.