Voice of America Australia to Pay Cambodia $35 Million in Refugee Deal VOA News September 26, 2014 1:21 AM Australia says it will pay Cambodia $35 million as part of a deal that will see refugees who were turned away from Australia resettled in the Southeast Asian nation. The deal, signed Friday in Phnom Penh, has been criticized by some rights groups, who say the refugees likely will be abused in Cambodia, one of the worlds poorest countries. Outside Australias embassy in the Cambodian capital, dozens took part in a demonstration against the agreement. Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has defended the plan, saying only those who agree to be relocated to Cambodia will be sent there. Morrison says only those in the detention facility on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru would be eligible initially to be resettled in Cambodia. He said the first refugees could be transferred by the end of the year and that there would be no caps on the number of refugees sent to Cambodia. Cambodian Minister of the Interior Sar Kheng said Thursday that Cambodia will take “four or five” refugees “only as a test” in the near future, but gave no further details. Human Rights Watch says Cambodia, one of the worlds poorest countries, has not shown a willingness or ability to provide refugees adequate protection. The New York-based group also says the Southeast Asian nation has a record of returning refugees to countries where they face persecution, such as China and Vietnam. Hundreds of asylum seekers have died in recent years while en route to Australia on rickety, overcrowded boats, creating a humanitarian emergency. Under a policy aimed at deterring the boats, Australias conservative government has been sending those trying to reach the country to remote camps on either Manus Island or Nauru. The government says the policy has been successful at deterring people smugglers, pointing out that only one boatload of refugees has reached the Australian mainland since December. voanews/content/australia-to-pay-cambodia-35-million-refugee-deal/2463073.html
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 13:29:41 +0000
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