Viet Tan: Two Members Missing In Cambodia

The Viet Tan party issued a statement on Friday, September 25, announcing that two of its members have gone missing in Cambodia.

“Two Viet Tan members, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thuan and Mr. Tran Hiep, have been missing in Cambodia since September 18. To date, their families and close associates have no information about their whereabouts,” Viet Tan said.

According to the statement, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thuan, 52, lives with his wife and two children in Oslo, Norway. As a student, he served as president of the University of Oslo’s Vietnamese student association and actively organized community activities to promote understanding of Vietnamese history and culture. After joining Viet Tan, he worked actively for democracy and human rights in Vietnam, from lobbying Norwegian parliamentarians and the European Union, to working with human rights organizations, to supporting activists inside Vietnam.

“Mr. Tran Hiep, also known as Ho Pham Hiep Huy, 51, lives in Melbourne, Australia, with his wife. His spirit of commitment to the community began in his university years, when he joined the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Victoria. After graduating, he continued working in the areas of social justice, youth welfare and human rights through organizations such as Em Viet and the Australian Alliance to Combat Human Trafficking (AusACT). Within Viet Tan, he took part in training human rights activists in digital security,” the statement continued.

Viet Tan said: “Meeting, exchanging ideas with, and supporting individuals and organizations that share the goal of promoting democracy and human rights is a natural part of the activities of Viet Tan members. With the aim of building solidarity and mutual support, Viet Tan members at home and abroad regularly meet with activists, civil society organizations and people who care about Vietnam’s future. These are also activities that Viet Tan members have carried out for many years, despite being frequently targeted by the Vietnamese Communist government.

“The disappearance of Mr. Thuan and Mr. Hiep has caused great concern to their families and to all Viet Tan members. We are coordinating with the families to work with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as the two countries’ diplomatic missions in Phnom Penh and Bangkok, to find out their whereabouts and ensure their safety. We are also receiving support from many international human rights organizations,” the Viet Tan statement went on.

Viet Tan said: “We sincerely thank our friends and compatriots for their inquiries, encouragement and concern. Above all, we hope that Mr. Thuan and Mr. Hiep are safe and will soon return to be reunited with their families. We will continue to provide updates as new developments occur, and we sincerely ask everyone to keep caring, sharing and supporting the efforts to find them.”