Australia urges Vietnam to free jailed democracy supporter
The Australian government is urging Vietnam to free on health grounds a 72-year-old Vietnamese-born Australian serving a 12-year prison sentence for supporting a pro-democracy group

Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Australian government is urging Vietnam to free on health grounds a 72-year-old Vietnamese-born Australian serving a 12-year prison sentence for supporting a pro-democracy group.
A court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced Chau Van Kham in 2019 on terrorism convictions related to his support for democracy group Viet Tan.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she had argued for Khamās release in a conversation with Vietnamās Prime Minister Phįŗ”m Minh ChĆnh in Hanoi last year and in a phone call with Vietnamās Foreign Minister BĆ¹i Thanh SĘ”n last week.
āIn relation to Mr. Chau Van Kham, respecting the Vietnamese legal system and we do, our concern though is his age. He is in his 70s, he is unwell,ā Payne told reporters.
āWe have sought an appropriate consideration of his circumstances given those facts and to have him allowed to return to Australia,ā Payne said.
The South Vietnamese army veteran had lived in Australia since the early 1980s. He is a retired Sydney baker and was arrested during a visit to Vietnam in 2019.
The Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that Kham was found guilty of āterrorism to oppose the peopleās administrationā after a half-day trial.
It said two Vietnamese men, Nguyen Van Vien and Tran Van Quyen, were also sentenced to 11 and 10 years respectively on the same charge.
The newspaper described the three men as members of Viet Tan, which Vietnamās Communist government has branded āterroristā since 2016.
It said Kham was in charge of the groupās Australian branch and was assigned to raise funds to finance what it called āreactionary activitiesā in Vietnam.
Viet Tan called the charges ābaselessā and said the legal proceedings were a sham.
The newspaper said Kham was arrested when he crossed the border from Cambodia into Vietnam using false ID documents.
He will be deported after serving his prison term, the newspaper said.
Human Rights Watch said Kham received āwhat is essentially a death sentenceā because of his age and health needs.
His family say his health problems include glaucoma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, prostate problems and kidney stones.