Immigration minister: Australia to resettle extra 1000 Syria refugees

CANBERRA, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Australia will resettle an extra 1,000 refugees from Syria as part of its decision to increase the humanitarian intake to 20,000, said Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen during question time of the lower house of parliament Thursday.

Thousands were still fleeing everyday, with a further 650,000 people expected to leave in coming months, and many of those who have fled Syria were those who had sought refuge there, having already fled Iraq, he said, "we have all watched the humanitarian crisis in Syria in horror."

He also mentioned the extra 1000 to be resettled in the next few months would include both Syrian nationals and members of the Iraqi community, many of whom had significant family links to Australia. Enditem