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No shortage of beggars in Cambodia, hardly a great place for refugees

Cash for Cambodia Buys Australia an Expensive Refugee Ruse

Tuesday, June 2, 2015
FOUR REFUGEES detained on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru are set to arrive in Cambodia as part of a controversial agreement that has so far cost Australian taxpayers $55.5 million.

The Iranian couple, Iranian man and a Rohingya Muslim man from Myanmar will be given villa-style accommodation, bank accounts, income support, health insurance, training and other benefits when they arrive in the capital Phnom Penh.

Their journey to one of the world's poorest nations has been shrouded in secrecy since the group travelled from Nauru to the Northern Territory in early May where they waited for Cambodia to approve of them becoming permanent residents.

A spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) a multi-country agency which has been contracted by Australia to take care of the refugees, said their arrival in Phnom Penh on Wednesday was "likely but not confirmed".

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Peter Dutton declined to reveal any information about the group, saying ''as you know we haven't been making any comment on this''.

The agreement signed at a champagne-sipping ceremony in September has been condemned by Cambodia's opposition parties, the United Nations refugee agency, non-government-organisations and human rights and refugee advocacy groups.

Cambodia is rated as one of the world's most corrupt nations with a poor human rights record, while millions of Cambodians live in poverty.

A Senate Estimates committee in Canberra has been told the cost for providing services to support the resettlement of the refugees so far is $15.5 million.

This is in addition to $40 million Australia has pledged in additional aid to Cambodia for agreeing to the deal.

Mr Dutton has said he hoped other refugees on Nauru who refused to give up their hopes of living in Australia to go to Cambodia would change their minds once they see how the first group has settled there.

But any further volunteers will not receive the same benefits as the first group.

An IOM spokesman said it was likely that when the refugees arrive they will go straight to accommodation that has been arranged for them at a secret location.

"Media exposure could potentially jeopardise protection needs of the refugees and carries a high level of risk to their families at home," the IOM spokesman said.

"While IOM can speak in general terms about what services will be available to refugees, IOM will not disclose any specific details about a refugee's particular assistance," he said.

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

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what a waste of money just catering for the islamphobic bigots in my beloved homeland

Posted by Arthur on June 2, 2015 15:03

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Where can we sign up lol

Posted by Michael on June 2, 2015 15:09

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I agree Michael, what's the weather like in Cambodia for the next few years?

Posted by MoW on June 2, 2015 16:03

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"Cambodia is rated as one of the world's most corrupt nations with a poor human rights record, while millions of Cambodians live in poverty."

Which nation isn't corrupt - look at the pork barrel politics in the US, literacy rates and 46 million living in poverty (20 million of them in Deep Poverty), not exactly a great benchmark.

Posted by Mister Ree on June 2, 2015 22:29

Editor Comment:

Is Australia sending its unwanted refugees to the US, Mister Ree? The article is about whether Cambodia is a suitable destination for them. The US has wide experience taking in refugees, and from what we hear, most of them prosper there. This Australian experiment . . . well, is the welfare of the refugees the central, important issue, or something entirely less relevant?


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