IOM willing to help with refugee plan

The International Organisation for Migration has told the Cambodian government it is willing to take part in the resettlement of refugees from Nauru if a number of conditions are met.

A spokesman for the intergovernmental group said yesterday it would “be prepared to have a role in resettling the caseload from Nauru subject to certain conditions being present”, without describing them in detail.

Australia signed a deal with Cambodia last year to resettle an unknown number of refugees from its detention centre on the Pacific island.

Peter Dutton, Australia’s new immigration minister, told the ABC in an interview yesterday he would visit Cambodia soon.

“They are a very significant partner for us,” he said.

A Cambodian delegation returned from Nauru on Monday, but officials were tight-lipped about the visit yesterday.

A statement released by Australia’s Refugee Action Coalition said the IOM had “willingly collaborated with the Australian government to violate the rights of refugees”.