Four
asylum seekers rejected by Australia landed in Cambodia Tuesday morning, the
first to arrive under a controversial deal signed between the two countries in
September last year.
The
four – two Iranian men, an Iranian woman and a Rohingya man from Burma – landed
on a Malaysia Airlines flight to Phnom Penh this morning. Airport and police
officials confirmed the Thursday arrival of the group.
The Phnom
Penh Post reported: “Minutes after the flight landed, a van believed to be
carrying the refugees left the VIP terminal at the airport with its curtains
pulled shut.”
The
AUS$40 million ($32 million) deal sparked protests in Cambodia’s capital Phnom
Penh after its announcement last year and has been sharply criticised by human
rights organisations.
Pisey
Ly, a grassroots Cambodian activist who advocates for marginalized groups such
as homeless migrants and sex workers, told Asian
Correspondent last year: “Although Australian and Cambodian
governments claimed that they’re only sending and receiving refugees who
voluntarily agreed to be resettled in Cambodia, I question whether or not those
refugees have… a real choice. They ran from their own countries escaping war,
conflicts, violence, political threats and poverty, and seek a better place for
survival and protection.”
The
four were among more than 600 held on the the island of Nauru, where Australia
has been sending its unwanted asylum seekers. They are believed to be the only
asylum seekers on the island to accept the resettlement deal so far.
The
Age reported Thursday: “They were transferred to a villa in a Phnom
Penh suburb where they will live for months while receiving language and other
training and benefits including $15,000, accommodation, income support and
health insurance.”
Photo:
reporters trying to film and photograph the van carrying 4 refugees at Phnom
Penh airport (Panu Wongcha-um)
READ
MORE:
Additional
reporting from Associated Press
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário