Syrian refugee reportedly transferred from Nauru to Cambodia

A refugee who was being held on Nauru has reportedly arrived in Cambodia, the seventh person to resettle there under a controversial deal with Australia.

Cambodia

File image of a van with four refugees from Australia out of Phnom Penh International Airport, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, June 4 2015. Source: AAP

Australian officials are tight-lipped over reports a Syrian refugee previously held on Nauru has been quietly transferred to Cambodia.

He is just the seventh person to arrive there following a controversial resettlement deal struck in 2014, when Australia agreed to give the Southeast Asian nation about $40 million in aid.

An immigration department spokesman did not explicitly confirm the resettlement, first reported by the Phnom Penh Post on Thursday, saying the privacy of all refugees should be respected.

"We have no intention of releasing personal or other details relating to those who volunteer to take up settlement in Cambodia," he told AAP.

The governments of Australia and Cambodia remain committed to the arrangement, which allows refugees in Nauru to settle in Cambodia, he said.

"This arrangement provides refugees with the support they need to integrate into the Cambodian community and build new lives."

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Published 25 May 2017 12:46pm
Updated 25 May 2017 3:11pm
Source: AAP


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