Refugees seek to stop deportation move

Three asylum seekers being processed at the Manus Regional Processing Centre have gone to the Supreme Court with an urgent application to stop being deported until their case before the National Court is fully dealt with

Their lawyer Ben Lomai went before the Supreme Court today (August 20) with an urgent application to restrain  PNG Chief Migration Officer Mataio Rabura, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Rimbink Pato, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Attorney General Ano Pala from deporting them back to their country of origin.

Their urgent application comes after one of the 301 asylum seekers who is pursuing a section 57 application of human rights enforcement case against the State was deported to his country of origin last week.

Lomai appeared before Justice Nicholas Kirriwom with the application seeking to restrain the three facing deportation being sent back to their country.

The application was filed and served on Monday (August 17) to respondents in the proceeding however short service of the matter resulted in the non-attendance of lawyers representing the Prime Minister and the Attorney General today.

Lomai told the court that due to the urgency of the application, it was not served three days before the hearing as required.

The matter has since been deferred  by Justice Kirriwom to tomorrow morning (August 21) for hearing and parties not present in court today will be expected to attend.

Meanwhile an extension was granted to September 7 by Justice Kirriwom today to allow Lomai to file more affidavits of his 301 asylum seeker clients who were allowed to be joined in the proceeding.

Originally there were only 25 asylum seekers in the infringement of a human rights proceeding.

On June 18 Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia granted leave for 277 more to be added to the proceeding.

Author: 
Sally Pokiton