UN says Australia refugee pact with Cambodia worrying precedent
Australia’s pact to allow some refugees to be transferred to Cambodia sets a troubling precedent for international practices on handling asylum seekers, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The deal, signed yesterday in Phnom Penh, applies to an initial 200 refugees detained by Australia at an offshore processing center on the island nation of Nauru, in the South Pacific. Refugees will be offered the option of voluntary resettlement in Cambodia, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement yesterday. …
Australia will provide A$40 million ($35 million) to support development projects in Cambodia alongside the refugee pact in addition to existing aid programs, Morrison told ABC Radio on Sept. 25. The two countries will initially conduct a trial of the transfers, he said in yesterday’s statement. …
David Stringer
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-27/un-says-australia-refugee-pact-with-cambodia-worrying-precedent.html
