Bangkok – Thai authorities are facing mounting pressure to release a Vietnamese anti-corruption activist and prevent his deportation back to Vietnam, where rights groups fear he will face severe persecution. Le Chi Thanh, 43, was arrested March 6 in Pathum Thani province after Vietnamese authorities cancelled his passport, leaving him without a valid visa to remain in Thailand.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a statement today calling for Thanh’s immediate release and the reinstatement of his visa. Elaine Pearson, Asia director at HRW, warned that returning Thanh to Vietnam would place him in “grave danger.”
Thanh, a former police officer, has used social media to expose corruption within the Vietnamese police force. Prior to seeking refuge in Thailand in September 2025, he endured years of persecution in Vietnam for his activism. In 2021, he was arrested and allegedly tortured while in police custody, later receiving a two-year prison sentence for resisting arrest. A subsequent conviction in 2022 under Article 331 of Vietnam’s penal code – a broadly worded law often used to stifle dissent – added another three years to his sentence, stemming from Facebook posts criticizing corruption. He was released in June 2025.
HRW highlighted a concerning pattern of transnational repression, noting that Thai authorities have recently assisted the Vietnamese government in actions against exiled Vietnamese activists, including those recognized as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In November 2025, Thailand forcibly returned Montagnard human rights activist Y Quynh Bdap to Vietnam.
The Thai Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act prohibits extradition when there is a substantial risk of torture or ill-treatment upon return. Furthermore, international law’s principle of nonrefoulement prevents countries from returning individuals to places where they face a real risk of persecution or serious harm. Thailand is a party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which codifies this principle.
HRW noted that Thailand’s human rights record is scheduled for review by the UN Human Rights Council in November, and urged concerned governments to press Thailand to end its collaboration with Vietnam in repressing exiled critics. The release of Le Chi Thanh, Pearson stated, would demonstrate Thailand’s commitment to upholding its human rights obligations.
