Human rights & labor activist, mostly focused on SE Asia. FCCT Board member. Boston sports fan, rock & roll lover, fisherman. SAIS. Cape Cod. Thai/Lao speaker

Bangkok
Phil Robertson retweeted
Two human rights advocates from pro-democracy party Viet Tan have gone missing in Cambodia, raising serious concerns of transnational repression in the region. 1/3
Today marks exactly one week since Nguyen Duc Thuan, a Vietnamese-Norwegian, and Tran Hiep, a Vietnamese-Australian, went missing in Cambodia. Their disappearance is not an ordinary “missing person” incident. Both men are long-time human rights advocates and Viet Tan members. They went to Cambodia to meet with human rights defenders from inside Vietnam. The family members have written an appeal to the Cambodian government to “expeditiously and fully determine the whereabouts” of these two activists. They have also been working closely with their respective foreign affairs ministries and urge anyone to share updates on the whereabouts of their loved ones. @NorwegianMFA @dfat @hrw @amnestyOz @Amnesty_Norge @ABCaustralia @theage @theheraldsun @ReutersAustral1 @smh @dagbladet @Nettavisen @NTB_PRM @AFPASIA @dpa September 24, 2026 Urgent Alert: Norwegian and Australian Activists Missing in Cambodia We are issuing an urgent appeal on behalf of the families of Nguyen Duc Thuan and Tran Hiep to determine their whereabouts and ensure their safety. Our loved ones have been incommunicado since September 18, 2026. Nguyen Duc Thuan, a Vietnamese-Norwegian, and Tran Hiep, a Vietnamese-Australian, have been long-time human rights advocates, supporting grassroots movements in Vietnam and combating social injustice. They flew into Phnom Penh, Cambodia on September 15 (from Bangkok) to meet with Vietnamese human rights activists. Their last known communication took place on the morning of September 18 with a scheduled return flight to Bangkok on September 19 at 10:30AM (on Cambodia Airways flight KR701). According to the airline, they never boarded their flight. We have been in close contact with the Norwegian and Australian Foreign Ministries and their local embassies in Bangkok and Phnom Penh. We acknowledge and appreciate the efforts from the Norwegian and Australian governments to resolve the case. The Cambodian authorities must expeditiously and fully determine the whereabouts of Nguyen Duc Thuan and Tran Hiep. This is not an ordinary “missing persons” case given their long standing work advocating for human rights in Vietnam. Our families have filed an appeal to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances in light of their disappearance. Nguyen Duc Thuan, 52, is based in Oslo with his wife and two children. As a member of Viet Tan, a pro-democracy party, Nguyen Duc Thuan has campaigned for the release of Vietnam's political prisoners, working with Norwegian elected representatives, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and human rights organizations, including the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights. He is also an active member of the Catholic community in Norway, raising awareness of violations of freedom of religion in Vietnam. He has diabetes and requires daily insulin injections. Tran Hiep (also known as Ho Pham Hiep Huy), 51, is based in Melbourne with his wife. He is also a member of Viet Tan and has trained activists on digital security. As a key member of the Em Viet group, he has helped deliver programs supporting young people facing difficult circumstances. He helped launch the Australian Alliance to Combat Human Trafficking (AusACT), organizing fundraising events and advocacy workshops to combat trafficking of young Vietnamese girls to neighboring countries. We hope that anyone with information on their whereabouts will come forward and help reunite our families. Respectfully, Nguyen Duc Thien (brother of Nguyen Duc Thuan) Chloe Dang (wife of Tran Hiep)
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Next round in the never ending battle between #Thailand & #Cambodia, damaging cooperative arrangements in both the Mekong region and Gulf of Thailand.
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This ad looks like North Korean style propaganda. It's urgent that there investigation & prosecution of any USG staff person who worked on this ad in violation of the Hatch Act. This is exactly what needs to be done. Kudos to Rep. Raskin for raising this urgent matter! @realDonaldTrump @VP @WhiteHouse
This may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes. 18 U.S.C. § 1641. It is a Hatch Act violation for any government employees who worked on it or used government resources to make it. It is blatantly unethical under numerous federal ethics provisions proscribing the use of government resources for political campaigns.
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Simply outrageous & unacceptable propaganda from the Orange 🍊 Monster @realDonaldTrump. Laws were broken by whoever in USG is behind this. Trump regime video here looks like it's right out of a North Korea production house. SHAME! @USAsiaPacific @SecRubio
Trump wants you to believe that independent news agencies are publishing propaganda. If you want to see real propaganda, look no further than this ad, paid for by the U.S. government.
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Classic @TheWho album cover, updated for the troubled times of #Trump. @realDonaldTrump @VP @WhiteHouse @StephenM @SecRubio
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Next week (Tues, 29 Sept - 1 pm) at the @FCCThai -- looking closely at the challenges of online disinformation in the @ASEAN region - with @unescobangkok. Free & open to the public!
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Phil Robertson retweeted
Happening this morning (9/25, starts 10 am) at the @FCCThai in #Bangkok. People's Goal provides a new report & comprehensive briefing about what is happening in the #Myanmar military & inside the country, based on detailed testimonies of 60 military defectors. Unique, hard to find analysis - a must for all #Burma watchers. Entry is free & open to the public. #WhatsHappeninginMyanmar fccthai.com/event/wind-of-ch…
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Phil Robertson retweeted
🇲🇾 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim: Why compromise your principled leadership for the genocidal Min Aung Hlaing? ⚠️ Don’t betray your principled past. Read more here👇👇 kohmar.substack.com/p/a-lett… #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #Malaysia #ASEAN @PVamplify @DVB_English @anwaribrahim
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Yesterday at #UN81 the Malaysian delegation spoke in support of safe, dignified & voluntary return of Rohingya refugees and addressing the root causes of the crisis in Myanmar. States are obligated not to return refugees when those conditions are absent. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
🇲🇾 Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim: Why compromise your principled leadership for the genocidal Min Aung Hlaing? ⚠️ Don’t betray your principled past. Read more here👇👇 kohmar.substack.com/p/a-lett… #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar #Malaysia #ASEAN @PVamplify @DVB_English @anwaribrahim
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Only 5 years? His responsibility for atrocities far predates the 2021 coup. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar
After 5 years of regime atrocities which has left thousands of civilians dead, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said in a Time interview that he “made every possible effort to prevent the situation from reaching this point” myanmar-now.org/en/news/myan…
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Bonito Tuna caught off the backside of Nantucket, and my daughter's amazing conversion of that fish to sushi rolls ;-) So delicious!
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