Arabic version: منظمة حقوقية تزعم اختطاف أسترالي في كمبوديا

According to ABC News, pro-democracy group Viet Tan alleges Melbourne man Hiep Tran and his Norwegian Vietnamese colleague Duc Thuan Nguyen were abducted in Cambodia by Vietnamese authorities and forcibly taken to Vietnam.

Mr Tran, 50, and Mr Nguyen, 52, had travelled to Phnom Penh to meet Vietnamese human rights activists after flying from Bangkok on September 15. They were regularly in contact with family until the morning of September 18 and did not board their scheduled return flight to Bangkok the following day.

Viet Tan said Vietnamese state media reported overnight that the men had been detained and accused them of illegally entering Vietnam from Cambodia. The group rejected that account as a fabrication, saying the men had no intention of entering Vietnam and had disappeared while travelling to Cambodia’s Kaoh Andaet area. ABC News said it had not seen the state media report and had contacted Vietnamese authorities for comment.

Viet Tan called on Australia and Norway to seek direct access to the men to confirm their welfare. It said Mr Nguyen has diabetes and needs daily insulin injections, and urged pressure for both men’s immediate and unconditional release.

Mr Tran’s wife, Chloe Dang, said she had reported him missing in Cambodia and was concerned Australian consular officials were not doing enough. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian reported missing in Cambodia, but could not comment further because of privacy obligations.