Cambodia has confirmed its agreement to resettle refugees detained in Australia’s offshore processing center in Nauru. IDC members Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and Refugee Council of Australia have expressed concerns over this arrangement.
Cambodia has limited capacity to support new refugee arrivals in the country. Refugees currently in Cambodia have no access to sustainable housing, work permits or legal stay rights.
The Cambodian government has said they will only accept refugees who have agreed to voluntarily settle in Cambodia. But there are concerns that decisions may not be truly voluntary given the choice of either resettlement in Cambodia or temporary settlement in Nauru with no clear prospect of resettlement elsewhere.