(Bangkok) – The Vietnamese authorities should immediately release three activists associated with the overseas Viet Tan organization who went missing in Cambodia, and drop all charges against them, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should also grant Norwegian and Australian consular officials and family members immediate access to the detained men.

The Vietnamese police claim that Nguyen Duc Thuan, a Norwegian citizen; Tran Hiep (also known as Ho Pham Hiep Huy), an Australian citizen; and Thai Cong Truong Son are members of the outlawed Viet Tan organization and attempted to use fake documents to cross the border from Cambodia to Vietnam on September 18, 2026. The men’s relatives say they never attempted to enter Vietnam.

The police announced that they have charged the three men with “terrorism” under article 299 of the penal code for their association with Viet Tan and with forgery of seals and documents under article 341.…