Three arrested on terrorism, forgery charges in Vietnam, including Norwegian, Australian citizens

Vietnam authorities have arrested three individuals, including a Norwegian citizen and an Australian national of Vietnamese descent, on terrorism and forgery charges. The men, Nguyen Duc Thuan, Ho Pham Hiep Huy, and Thai Cong Truong Son, were apprehended on September 18 while attempting to cross illegally from Cambodia into Vietnam. They are accused of being members of Viet Tan, a US-based pro-democracy group that Vietnam's Communist government classifies as a terrorist organization.

According to the ministry, the trio were allegedly planning to conduct terrorist and sabotage activities in Vietnam. Moreover, they are accused of forging official documents, including seals and papers. Thuan, born in 1974, was carrying a Norwegian passport, while Huy, born in 1975, was carrying an Australian passport. The nationality of Son, born in 1980, was not specified.

Viet Tan has denied the allegations, stating that Thuan and Huy were abducted in Cambodia and forcibly transported to Vietnam. The group claims that the men disappeared in Cambodia on September 18 while traveling to Kaoh Andaet, a region in the south of the country near the Vietnamese border. The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed that his government is providing consular support to Huy and his family.

Cambodia's government has expressed no knowledge of the arrests, while Viet Tan has strongly condemned the abduction and the fabricated charges brought against the men by Vietnamese authorities. The group called for the immediate and unconditional release of the individuals, urging the governments of Norway and Australia, as well as international human rights organizations, to intervene on their behalf.

Vietnamese authorities maintained that the investigation is ongoing and that the men will be prosecuted according to the law.