Melbourne human rights activist disappears in Cambodia as wife urges Albanese government help

Tran Hiep, a 50-year-old Australian Vietnamese anti-human trafficking activist, has gone missing in Cambodia since 18 September. His wife, Chloe Dang, has implored the Australian government to help locate her husband and bring him home. Hiep was travelling with another human rights activist, Nguyen Duc Thuan, to meet with dissident Vietnamese activists for training.

Vietnam has recently intensified its crackdown on dissidents, with over 55 activists arrested under broad criminal laws in 2025. Civil society groups and United Nations human rights experts have warned of growing cooperation between Vietnamese authorities and neighbouring countries targeting advocates. The Australian government has confirmed that consular officials are in contact with Dang, providing consular assistance to the family of the missing Australian.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Guardian's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.