Vietnamese authorities accused of abducting Australian on fabricated terrorism charges
By Yashee Sharma
Australian human rights activist Tran Hiep, 51, is missing in Cambodia amid fears he has been abducted by Vietnamese authorities.
The federal government is urgently trying to get information about an Australian human rights activist arrested in Cambodia amid accusations he has been abducted by Vietnamese authorities.
Tran Hiep, 51, flew into Phnom Penh from Bangkok on September 15 with fellow activist and Vietnamese-Norwegian man Nguyen Duc Thuan to meet with human rights defenders.
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But the pair have not been heard from since September 18 – a day before they were scheduled to return to Thailand.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security accused the two men and a third, Thai Cong Truong Son, of “illegally entering Vietnam to conduct terrorist and sabotage activities”.
The ministry said the men had admitted to being members of Viet Tan, a US-based pro-democracy group that Vietnam’s Communist government designates as a terrorist organisation. It also accused them of forging seals and documents.
Hiep, also known as Ho Pham Hiep Huy, is a Vietnamese-Australian who lives in Melbourne with his wife Chloe Dang.
He is a freelance IT professional who founded the Australian Alliance to Combat Human Trafficking and is a member of the human rights group Viet Tan.
In a statement, Viet Tan said the two men were meeting with local activists in the Kaoh Andaet area of Cambodia when they were allegedly abducted by Vietnamese authorities.
“Viet Tan affirms that the two members had no intention of entering Vietnam,” the group said.
“After abducting Nguyen Duc Thuan, a Norwegian citizen, and Tran Hiep, an Australian citizen, the Vietnamese communist authorities claimed that the two men had ‘illegally entered Vietnam from the Cambodian border’.
“This is a blatant fabrication intended to conceal the fact that the Viet Tan members were abducted in Cambodia and forcibly taken to Vietnam.”
In a statement to nine.com.au, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was urgently seeking information from Vietnam about Hiep.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is making urgent inquiries with Vietnamese authorities to confirm reports that an Australian citizen has been detained,” a spokesperson said.
“We are providing consular assistance to the Australian’s family.”
Vietnam is a one-party state led by the Communist Party of Vietnam and its leader To Lam.
Human rights organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have raised concerns over the government’s imprisonment of critics and targeting of activists and journalists.
Viet Tan and Hiep’s family have contacted the Australian government for help.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government is engaging with the family and providing consular assistance.
“That’s what Australian governments do for our citizens, and we’ll continue to engage directly with the family,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Nine.com.au has contacted the Vietnamese government for comment.
\- Reported with Reuters