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Refugees to leave Cambodia for asylum in United States
More than 900 hilltribe refugees who fled a government crackdown in Vietnam will begin leaving Cambodia for asylum in the United States next week.
Cambodian police officials said the first group of 60 refugees will fly out of the capital Phnom Penh on June 1 under a resettlement deal struck with Washington.
The mainly Christian ethnic minority hilltribe communities in the Central Highlands have long been eyed with suspicion by Vietnam's rulers because of their allegiance to American forces during the Vietnam War.
Hundreds of hilltribe refugees have crossed into Cambodia in the past year following a Vietnamese military crackdown on ethnic minority demonstrations for land rights and religious freedom in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
The resettlement plan has caused a diplomatic storm, with Hanoi demanding their return and accusing the United States of meddling in Vietnam's internal affairs.
Cambodia has now sealed its borders to any further asylum seekers from Vietnam
24/05/2002 22:35:27 | ABC Radio Australia News
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