A refugee rights group yesterday condemned the resettlement agreement between Australia and Cambodia, which could potentially see refugees housed in Australian off-shore detention relocated to Phnom Penh by the end of the year.

The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) said the Australian government should not try ‘‘to resettle [refugees] in a third country that may not be adequately equipped to provide sufficient levels of protection’’.

Australia’s Minister of Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison signed the agreement with Minister of Interior Sar Kheng in Phnom Penh on September 26.

Following the signing, reports of self-harm, attempted suicide and abuse emerged from the detention centre on the Pacific island of Nauru.

‘‘Australia must be criticised for their deliberate attempt to shirk their responsibility toward fulfilling their international obligations as a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention,’’ the APRRN said.