Refugees reach Phnom Penh

Refugees reach Phnom Penh

CAMBODIA: A final group of 31 ethnic Vietnamese hill tribespeople who fled persecution in their country arrived in the Cambodian capital on Saturday, a UN official said.

The men and six women were taken to a United Nations shelter, bringing to 198 the number of tribespeople in Phnom Penh under the protection of the world body, said Cathy Shin, an officer for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Shin said a doctor and nurse were examining the tribespeople, collectively known as Montagnards.

They were part of a group of about 200 who had sought shelter in Cambodia's remote mountainous province of Ratannakiri, bordering Vietnam. Others were flown to the capital earlier this week. -- AP