Australian pro-democracy activist thanks supporters for early release from Vietnamese prison

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Pro-democracy campaigner Chau Van Kham has thanked his supporters who helped secure his release from a Vietnamese prison four years into a 12-year sentence for terrorism offenses. The 73-year-old Australian citizen returned to his family in Sydney on Tuesday after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged that the retired baker be released from prison during a visit to Hanoi last month. Kham on Thursday thanked a broad array of supporters including the current and former Australian governments, rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, community groups, media and lawyers. Kham had been in custody in his birth country since he visited in January 2019.