Australia asks impoverished Cambodia to take some asylum seekers

Asylum seekers, who were turned back by Australia, sit in an immigration holding area at a hotel in Kupang January 28, 2014. REUTERS/Aubrey Belford

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Australia asked Cambodia, one of Asia's poorest countries, on Saturday to take in asylum seekers detained while trying to reach the Australian coast and Cambodia said it would think about it.

Australia's government came to power last year partly because of a tough stance on asylum seekers arriving from Indonesia with Prime Minister Tony Abbott promising to "stop the boats".