China, Cambodia, Wikileaks and the Uighurs

When asked to choose between two dozen Uighur asylum-seekers and a Chinese government that claimed they were "criminals", Cambodian authorities sided with China -- and Western diplomats were powerless to stop them. What leaked diplomatic cables show about the controversial 2009 deportations.

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What now for Vietnam's Montagnard refugees?

Critics question whether future asylum seekers will receive fair treatmentCambodia must ensure it offers a safe haven to asylum seekers, rights groups say, following the government’s closure this week of a United Nations-run refugee centre, home to dozens of Montagnards from Vietnam.

The 75 Montagnards, part of ethnic minority tribes from Vietnam’s Central Highlands, had been housed at the facility in Phnom Penh – some for up to six years.

The government gave the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) until this week to find new homes for the asylum seekers. Most have been resettled.

But there are still concerns over the safety of future asylum seekers. Human Rights Watch says Cambodia’s recent track record on asylum seekers has been "dismal". And it says the south-east Asian country’s regulations governing refugees may not ensure their safety.

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