Phil Robertson, Director of Asia Human Rights & Labour Advocates, on September 29, 2026 condemned Vietnam’s detention of Nguyen Duc Thuan and Tran Hiep, calling on Norway and Australia to demand their immediate release. Hanoi, however, gives a different account, saying the two men were arrested while illegally entering Vietnam from Cambodia.
On September 29, 2026, Phil Robertson, Director of Asia Human Rights & Labour Advocates (AHRLA), issued a statement concerning the cases of human rights and democracy activists Nguyen Duc Thuan and Tran Hiep.
In a statement published on X, Robertson accused Vietnamese authorities of having “abducted” the two men in Cambodia and taken them to Vietnam. He described the case as another example of transnational repression and called on Norway and Australia to intervene so that their nationals can be released and allowed to return to their families.
Nguyen Duc Thuan holds a Norwegian passport. Ho Pham Hiep Huy, also known as Tran Hiep, holds an Australian passport.
International media reports indicate that the two men had been in Cambodia before losing contact with their families around September 18. Viet Tan has alleged that they were detained in Cambodia and forcibly transferred across the border into Vietnam.
Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security gives a different account
On September 28, Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security confirmed that it was holding Nguyen Duc Thuan, Ho Pham Hiep Huy and Thai Cong Truong Son.
According to the ministry’s official statement, border guards at the My Quy Tay border gate in Tay Ninh province discovered the three men at approximately 9:50 p.m. on September 18 while they were allegedly “illegally entering Vietnam from Cambodia.”
The ministry said Nguyen Duc Thuan was carrying a Norwegian passport as well as two Vietnamese identity cards which authorities alleged were fake. Ho Pham Hiep Huy was reported to be carrying an Australian passport under the name Tran Hiep.
On September 28, Vietnamese authorities announced that all three men had been formally investigated and placed in pre-trial detention over allegations of “terrorism” under Article 299 and “forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations” under Article 341 of Vietnam’s Penal Code.
These remain allegations by the investigating authorities. No final court judgment has yet been issued in the case.
The Ministry of Public Security also said the three men had admitted to being members of Viet Tan and had intended to carry out acts of sabotage.
Viet Tan has rejected that account and said Nguyen Duc Thuan and Tran Hiep had no plan to enter Vietnam, alleging instead that they were seized in Cambodia and forcibly taken across the border.
International news organizations have likewise reported that the Vietnamese authorities and those supporting the two detainees are presenting sharply conflicting versions of how the two men came to be in Vietnamese custody.
Phil Robertson calls on Norway and Australia to act
In his September 29 statement, Robertson said the case should be viewed in the broader context of transnational repression, a term commonly used to describe efforts by governments to monitor, threaten, intimidate, coerce or detain critics beyond their own borders.
Robertson called on Norway and Australia to press for the immediate release of Nguyen Duc Thuan and Tran Hiep.
He also argued that the international community should not separate its economic relations with Vietnam from what he described as serious human rights concerns.
In his statement, Robertson said:
“The international community needs to realize that continuing business as usual with Vietnam is not acceptable when Hanoi is expanding its transnational repression efforts wherever it deems fit.”
He further urged Norway and Australia, whose nationals he said had been abducted, to lead international efforts demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the two men.
Key facts remain unresolved
The central unresolved question is how Nguyen Duc Thuan and Tran Hiep entered Vietnamese custody.
Vietnamese authorities say they crossed illegally from Cambodia into Vietnam and were arrested at the border.
Viet Tan and human rights advocates say the two men were abducted on Cambodian territory and forcibly taken into Vietnam.
If allegations that they were seized inside Cambodia were independently established, the case could raise serious questions concerning Cambodian sovereignty, consular rights of Australian and Norwegian citizens, and possible transnational repression.
At present, there is no publicly available independent investigation that conclusively resolves the contradiction between the two accounts.
Sources: Statement by Phil Robertson/AHRLA, September 29, 2026; Vietnam Ministry of Public Security; international media reports.
Phil Robertson’s statement on X:
https://x.com/Reaproy/status/2104785527358808145/photo/1
Trung Khoa Le – Thoibao.de
