Australian Minister says Cambodia could take refugees on Nauru
Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday that Cambodia may soon agree to take in asylum seekers who are now detained on the South Pacific island nation of Nauru after being diverted while trying to reach Australia. Mr. Morrison told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that next month his government will start processing about 60 refugees per month held at the Nauru detention center. He said a resettlement agreement is nearing among the governments of Nauru, Australia and Cambodia. Asked about the ethics of sending refugees to Cambodia, which the presenter described as “one of the poorest, most war damaged countries in the world,” Mr. Morrison replied that talks with Cambodia centered only on resettlement. … “Resettlement is about freedom from persecution, it’s not a ticket to a first-class economy and there’s a very interesting question, that is: Are we going to get behind a program that can expand the number of countries that can participate in global resettlement, [for which] there is a dearth of places?” Mr. Morrison said. … “We’re talking about effectively three [U.N. Refugee Convention] signatory countries that are talking to each other, now after my discussions with Nauru today: Nauru, Australia and Cambodia,” Mr. Morrison said. “I think this has real promise.” …
Alex Willemyns
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/staying-at-home-not-a-strike-factories-say-56440/
