HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A Vietnamese dissident says unidentified men assaulted him this week as he was heading to a meeting with an Australian diplomat to talk about the human rights situation in the country.
Dissident Nguyen Bac Truyen says men on motorbikes dragged him from a taxi and punched him Monday in the capital, Hanoi.
He said Wednesday that he needed hospital treatment for facial injuries sustained in the attack.
Truyen alleged that the men were connected to government security forces, which monitor him and other dissidents.
The Australian Embassy said it was very concerned about the incident and would discuss it with Vietnam's government.
The Vietnamese government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.