Manus Regional Processing Center

Lomai represents 730 transferees in a human rights enforcement application case currently in the PNG Supreme Court.     

He is now preparing a new constitutional enforcement application over the closure of the center, which he intends to file in the Supreme Court soon.

Demolition exercise has commenced at the centre in Lombrum leading up to October 31, where every transferee is to be relocated to other transit centres in Lorengau.

All services at the centre will cease as of October 31.

A three-man Supreme Court bench on Monday refused an application filed by 161 men who were processed in Manus and found to be non-genuine refugees.

The 161 applicants are a group from a total of 205 men who were processed and given the status as non-refugees.

These men asked the court to restrain the PNG Government, the National Executive Council and Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Rimbink Pato, from deporting them to their home countries pending the court’s determination of the substantive application.

The deportation of about 60 Asylum seekers will be underway in Manus after Immigration officers served papers on those with Double negative status this morning.

While there is frustration building amongst those served at the Manus Processing centre, Human Rights Lawyer Ben Lomai has begun the process of getting a stay order in PNG’s high court against the deportation exercise.

The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed two enforcement of human rights applications, filed under section 57 of the Constitution because the applications were not signed by the Asylum Seekers as applicants but their lawyer, Ben Lomai upon their instructions.

Spokesman Ian Rintoul said the applications were dismissed on a very obscure technicality, on the basis that the applications were not signed by the individuals.

A three-judge Supreme Court Bench consisting of Justices Goodwin Poole, David Cannings and Hitelai Polume-Kiele dismissed the two proceedings due to technical issues that the Asylum Seekers lawyer, Ben Lomai did not comply with.

Justices Goodwin Poole and Hitelai Polume-Kiele allowed an application that was moved this morning by Lawyer representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Rimbink Pato and the Chief Migration Officer, Mataio Rabura to dismiss the case.