CrCF and Human Rights Advocate on Vietnamese Refugees
Seek Action on the Alleged Enforced Disappearance and Forced Return of “Dương Văn Thái”
Between October 14–16, 2025, the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF) and a human rights advocate working on Vietnamese refugee issues, with a representative from International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) , will visit several state agencies to submit a formal complaint regarding the alleged enforced disappearance and forced return of Mr. Dương Văn Thái, a Vietnamese refugee in Thailand. They are calling on Thai authorities to investigate and establish the facts regarding Mr. Thái’s enforced disappearance and forced return to Vietnam.
Mr. Thái, a Vietnamese activist who had sought refuge in Thailand since 2018, forcibly disappeared on April 13, 2023. His family later received confirmation from the Vietnamese authorities in July 2023 that he had been detained in Vietnam and charged under Article 117 of the Vietnamese Penal Code for “conducting propaganda against the state.” Later, in October 2024, the Hanoi Court sentenced him to 12 years in prison.
The case is believed to involve enforced disappearance and forced return, potentially violating the principle of non-refoulement—a customary international law norm prohibiting the return of individuals to a place where they may face persecution or harm. It may also constitute violations under Section 7 (Enforced Disappearance) and Section 13 (Prohibition on Return to Risk of Torture) of Thailand’s Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act B.E. 2565 (2022).
Schedule for Submitting Complaints
October 14, 2025:
A human rights advocate working on Vietnamese refugee issues, who learned about the alleged violation against Mr. Thái, together with lawyers from the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF) and a representative from ICJ, will visit the Center for the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance at the Office of the Attorney General on Borommaratchachonnani Road. They will submit a complaint under Section 29 of the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act, calling for an official investigation and prosecution of those responsible.
October 15, 2025:
At 11:30 a.m., the team will go to Parliament to submit a petition to the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Law, Justice, and Human Rights. Ms. Cholticha Chaengrew, a Member of Parliament and spokesperson for the committee, will receive the petition on their behalf. In the afternoon, the representative will also submit a petition to the Department of Rights and Liberties Protection, Ministry of Justice, requesting an inquiry and the gathering of evidence to help the victim’s family understand the full details of the incident.
October 16, 2025:
Consecutively, the team will file a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT), urging an investigation into possible human rights violations by Thai or Vietnamese authorities against Mr. Thái, and to gather all related evidence concerning his abduction and forced return to Vietnam.
Background on Dương Văn Thái
Mr. Dương Văn Thái is a Vietnamese activist, independent journalist, blogger, and human rights defender known for his peaceful advocacy on environmental rights, democracy, and human rights in Vietnam. He was associated with the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam (IJAVN) and the Brotherhood for Democracy, both of which have been heavily suppressed by the Vietnamese government. He was also known for exposing corruption and publishing critical analyses of Vietnam’s political situation.
Due to these activities, Mr. Thái feared persecution, arrest, detention, and torture, prompting him to flee to Thailand in 2018. In 2019, he was recognized as a refugee by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in Thailand and was undergoing resettlement interviews for relocation to a third country.
However, on April 13, 2023, witnesses reported seeing Mr. Thái was forcibly taken away by four men while he was riding a motorcycle on Lamphu Road, Thanyaburi District, Pathum Thani Province, Thailand. Evidence and witness accounts strongly suggest that this was an abduction involving individuals linked to the Vietnamese government.
The incident occurred within Thai jurisdiction, yet no progress has been reported in the investigation to date. The Cross Cultural Foundation urges media outlets and the public to continue monitoring the case of Mr. Thái and the situation of refugees in Thailand—to ensure the rule of law and Thailand’s sovereignty remain intact, and that Thai authorities do not remain passive in the face of foreign state agents operating beyond their jurisdiction to violate the rights and freedoms of individuals under Thai protection.
