Three refugees including a Sri Lankan detained by Australia on the Pacific island of Nauru have volunteered to be the next refugees resettled in Cambodia as part of a controversial A$55-million deal signed just over two years ago.
On Thursday, a key source familiar with the situation told Anadolu Agency that the three men -- singles from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan -- had put themselves forward and that the process had begun to establish if they would be granted clearance.
Efforts to confirm this with the Connect Settlement Agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Australian Embassy were unsuccessful on Thursday. Multiple calls to refugee department spokesman Kerm Sarin were also unsuccessful.
On Friday, the Phnom Penh Post quoted immigration chief Gen. Sok Phal as saying that a delegation to Nauru had interviewed three men, and that paperwork had been submitted.
If given clearance, the three would follow in the footsteps of five people who also volunteered. All but one has since left Cambodia.
-Agencies
