• Burmese
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Features
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Features
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Asia

Advocate: 5 Asylum Seekers on Nauru Set to Go to Cambodia

by Rod McGuirk
April 21, 2015
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
Advocate: 5 Asylum Seekers on Nauru Set to Go to Cambodia

Protesters hold placards at a ‘Stand up for Refugees’ rally held in central Sydney on Oct. 11

2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

CANBERRA, Australia — Five asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, Burma and Iran have agreed to be among the first to leave the Pacific island nation of Nauru for Cambodia under a deal that allows refugees rejected by Australia to be resettled in the Southeast Asian country, a refugee advocate said Monday.

Ian Rintoul, spokesman for the Australia-based advocacy group Refugee Action Coalition, said none of the five men had had their refugee claims accepted yet.

RelatedPosts

Arakan Army Accuses Myanmar Junta of Chemical Warfare

Arakan Army Accuses Myanmar Junta of Chemical Warfare

December 5, 2023
1.7k
Ethnic Army Battles to Seize Another Base From Myanmar Junta Near Border With China

Ethnic Army Battles to Seize Another Base From Myanmar Junta Near Border With China

December 5, 2023
1.6k
Myanmar Junta Boss Tries to Drive Wedge Between Ethnic Armies, Civilians

Myanmar Junta Boss Tries to Drive Wedge Between Ethnic Armies, Civilians

December 5, 2023
4.4k

While the bilateral agreement signed last September stipulates that those resettled in Cambodia must be genuine refugees who volunteered to go, officials in Nauru were inviting asylum seekers whose refugee claims have yet to be processed as well as bona fide refugees, he said.

“My suspicion is that they’ll delay the flight long enough so that they can fast-track their determination process and they’ll be granted refugee status before the plane arrives,” Rintoul said. “The government is desperate to save political face and there are serious questions about the bona fides of what they’re involved in.”

The government had expected the first refugees to move to Cambodia by late last year, but the asylum seekers on Nauru have proved reluctant.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s office confirmed Monday that only genuine refugees would be resettled in Cambodia.

Of the 718 asylum seekers in Nauru from Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, 485 had proven to be genuine refugees by the end of last month. Another 83 had their claims rejected and another 150 had yet to be assessed.

A fact sheet outlining the benefits that refugees would be provided with if they became the first to go to Cambodia, including free health insurance and cash, that was circulated by Australian officials around the detention camp in recent weeks said the plane could leave as early as Monday.

Dutton would not say when the first plane would leave Nauru or how many refugees it would carry. “It won’t be far off,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.

“We’re having discussions with a large number of people on Nauru at the moment because we’ve made it very clear that those people will not be settled in Australia,” he said. “So we want to provide them with assistance in the first instance to go back to their country of origin. If they’re not prepared to do that, then we will provide them with assistance to go to Cambodia. That’s the option available to them.”

Rintoul said asylum seekers were being offered between 10,000 and 15,000 Australian dollars (US$7,800 and $US11,700) to go to Cambodia.

Human rights groups have condemned the deal as being dangerous for refugees and have called on Australia to fulfill its own obligations as a signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention by resettling the refugees.

But Australia refuses to accept any refugees who attempt to reach its shores by boat. It pays Nauru and Papua New Guinea to hold them in detention.

The five men who had accepted resettlement in Cambodia had been segregated from the rest of the Nauru camp, Rintoul said. They included three ethnic Tamil Sri Lankans, a Rohingya Muslim from Burma and one Iranian, he said.

An Iranian woman whose refugee claim had been rejected volunteered to go to Cambodia, but her offer was not accepted, Rintoul said.

Your Thoughts …
Previous Post

Indonesia Military Launches Anti-IS Operation on Eastern Island

Next Post

Bangladesh’s Opposition Leader Attacked at Election Rally but Unhurt

Rod McGuirk

Rod McGuirk

The Associated Press

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

November 28, 2023
78.9k
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

November 29, 2023
71.1k
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

December 4, 2023
45.9k
Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

Drone Attack at Myanmar-China Border Gate Causes Over $14m in Losses

November 27, 2023
30k
Brotherhood Alliance Marching Towards Capital of Myanmar’s Kokang Region

Brotherhood Alliance Marching Towards Capital of Myanmar’s Kokang Region

November 25, 2023
27.2k
General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption

General Close to Myanmar Junta Boss Placed Under House Arrest, Interrogated for Corruption

September 14, 2023
24.2k
Load More
Next Post
Bangladesh’s Opposition Leader Attacked at Election Rally but Unhurt

Bangladesh’s Opposition Leader Attacked at Election Rally but Unhurt

Win Tin’s Lessons for Burma

Win Tin’s Lessons for Burma

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

As Myanmar’s Junta Loses Control, Its Coup Leader Ratchets Up His Blame Game

As Myanmar’s Junta Loses Control, Its Coup Leader Ratchets Up His Blame Game

4 days ago
7.6k
Charting the Shifting Power Balance on Myanmar’s Battlefields 

Charting the Shifting Power Balance on Myanmar’s Battlefields 

4 days ago
6.4k

Most Read

  • Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

    Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Full Civilian Rule Restored in First Large Town Seized by Myanmar Resistance: NUG

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Resistance Fights to Seize Bago Town Near Yangon-Naypyitaw Road

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Resistance Seizes First Town in Bago Region: KNU

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Regime Snatching Civilians Across Rakhine State as Fighting Rages  

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Features
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.