A top Cambodian government official has dubbed the refugee resettlement program with Australia a failure.

It's been dubbed a failure by a top official in Phnom Penh, but Immigration Minister Peter Dutton insists Australia's refugee resettlement deal with Cambodia isn't a $55 million white elephant.

Of the five refugees who agreed to move from Nauru under the deal, only two remain in Cambodia after three opted to return to their countries of origin.

Australia offered Cambodia a $40 million aid sweetener and $15 million was earmarked for the International Organisation for Migration for resettlement costs.

source http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/04/04/australian-refugee-deal-failure-cambodian-official

That's a lot of money to resettle 5 refugees & 3 have left the building anyway.

Gov't can pay me $20.0m to live in Cambodia .... Happy!!

It is not a failure. They were not genuine refugees except the Rohingan. Now when they get home they warn a few that it is not worth it.

sounds to me like a better deal than the EU got from Turkey... for a number of BILLIONS Turkey takes back 75.000 migrants and will send 75.000 new ones instead, hahahaha... it's funny but really it is a sad day for the European taxpayer... I don't care anyway.

It is not a failure. They were not genuine refugees except the Rohingan. Now when they get home they warn a few that it is not worth it.

You've done a cost benefit analysis? Whats "a few" worth?

More accurately

A political joke on oz tax payers, spend 20 mill to resettle 5 people. (figures not accurate but serve the point)

Wish I was Cambo official who was on that gravy train!

Edited April 4, 201610 yr by kaorop

Hmm.....seems to be a very expensive way to encourage refugees to return to their home country?

Just goes to show the "refugees" are actually migrants. When offered a safe harbor from

persecution in Cambodia they decline. It is all about reaching Australia. Let the migrants

into Australia and the boats will start up again. $40 million is expensive to resettle 5 migrants

but it also highlights the fact the "refugees" are migrants, more interested in wealthy western

country to settle in.