From
the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
17th
April 2013
Dear
Mr Ricketson
Thank you for your letter dated
11th March 2013 to the Minister for Foreign Affairs about two
Cambodian children who were placed in the care of an Australian-run NGO in
Phnom Penh and whose parents want them returned. I have been asked to reply on
behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Bob Carr. Your
letter was forwarded to the Minister’s Office by the Australian Ambassador.
The appropriate authority to
address your concerns is the Royal Government of Cambodia, in particular the
Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, which has
responsibility for child welfare matters. I understand that Ambassador Richards
has responded to the correspondence you refer to in your letter to Senator Carr
and provided a list of local lawyers in case you wish to seek legal advice.
As you have said in your letter
that the girls have not been victims of human trafficking the matter would not
appear to be covered by the terms of Australia’s extraterritorial law. However,
if you believe that an offence has been committed against an Australian law
with extraterritorial effect, you should report the matter to the Australian
Federal Police.
Any concerns you have about the
operation of Australian-run NGOs working in Cambodia should be addressed to the
Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation which has
responsibility for registering international NGOs operating in Cambodia. You
could also wish to seek advice from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit
Commission (ACNC) which is an Australian Government initiative.
Kate
Duff
Assistant
Secretary
South
East Asia Branch
Department
of Foreign Affairs and Trade
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