Cambodia received its first batch of asylum seekers from Australian custody Thursday as part of a widely-criticised deal between the two countries.

The refugees -- three Iranians and one ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar -- were flown into Phnom Penh airport.

"They have arrived now, and we already handed them to the IOM," Chhay Bonna, the airport's chief immigration officer told AFP, referring to the International Organization for Migration.