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Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is visiting Cambodia to
discuss asylum seekers. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen |
Daniel Pye, The Phnom Penh Post
Fri, 4 April 2014
Australia's immigration minister, Scott Morrison, met with Interior
Minister Sar Kheng in Phnom Penh yesterday for talks following a
controversial request by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in February for
Cambodia to take in some of its refugees.
The closed-door meeting at the Ministry of Interior came a day after
Morrison signed a deal that would allow refugees housed in Australia’s
controversial offshore Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea
to be resettled in that country.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong yesterday confirmed that the meeting had taken place.
“Australian Immigration Minister [Morrison] met with Deputy Prime
Minister Sar Kheng [yesterday] morning at the Interior Ministry,” he
said, adding that he could not go into the details of what was
discussed.
Morrison’s office said in a statement yesterday that he was in Phnom
Penh to “further discussions on regional cooperation on people-smuggling
issues, following on from the earlier visit by [Bishop]”.
“Australia has ongoing engagement with countries
across our region on strengthening border protection and deterring the
illegal movement of people across borders,” the statement reads.
Phay Siphan, spokesman at the Council of Ministers, said he had not been
briefed on the meeting but that the Foreign Ministry may release
information at a later date.
“I haven’t yet heard the comments [from the meeting]. [The Foreign
Ministry] may respond to the proposal on the refugee issue,” he said.
Australian embassy officials did not respond to requests for comment
yesterday, and Morrison declined to take a call from a Post reporter to
his hotel room. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said in February
that Bishop had proposed Cambodia resettle refugees in a meeting with
Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Australia neither confirmed nor denied the request had been made, while
Cambodia later said that it would not welcome refugees who wished to use
the country as a “springboard” for political activities, raising
questions about what protection Cambodia could offer.
Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division,
said Morrison’s visit showed the Abbott government’s “shameful” stance
on refugees.
“The Abbott government’s shameful, rights abusing behaviour regarding
refugees and asylum seekers apparently has no limits, and the arrival of
Scott Morrison in Phnom Penh indicates the thoroughly bad idea of
transferring Australia’s responsibilities to Cambodia is still alive and
kicking,” he said in an email.
“It’s time for UNHCR to stand up and say that this is unacceptable, and for Cambodia to drop the proposal altogether.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHANE WORRELL