Asylum Seekers

PM O’Neill: Manus Regional Processing Centre will close

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill also noted that the closure of the centre will have a negative effect on the local economy on Manus, and the Government will work with Australia to seek to minimise damage to businesses and workers.

“I have considered the ruling of the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea and welcome this outcome,” Prime Minister O’Neill said.

“Respecting this ruling, Papua New Guinea will immediately ask the Australian Government to make alternative arrangements for the asylum seekers currently held at the Regional Processing Centre.

PNG Loop’s 5@5

Asylum seekers disrupts Madang to Manus flights

Air Niugini flight this morning from Madang to Manus has been disrupted.

http://www.looppng.com/content/asylum-seekers-disrupts-madang-manus-flights

 

Grand Chief maintains stand on O’Neill’s removal

Asylum seekers disrupts Madang to Manus flights

An eyewitness Brian H Waffi posted on his facebook page alerting the public about the incident.

He said the flight was disrupted after two Asylum Seekers protested and tried to break the airplanes glass protested not to go to Manus.

“All of us were told to disembark after two Asylum Seekers protested and tried to break the airplanes glass protested not to go to Manus. We will reboard.”

“The plane was about to lift off when the two started hitting the windows and crying out loud struggling with the air hostess.

Supreme Court rules detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island is illegal

The five-man bench of the court ruled the detention breached the right to personal liberty in the PNG constitution.

There are 850 men in the detention centre on Manus Island, about half of whom have been found to be refugees.

The Supreme Court has ordered the PNG and Australian Governments to immediately take steps to end the detention of asylum seekers in PNG.

The centre operators and PNG's immigration authorities have recently been trying to move refugees out of detention and into a so-called transit centre.

PNG concedes it can't resettle Manus asylum seekers

During a visit to Canberra, Peter O'Neill said the facility must eventually close.

Comments from the Papua New Guinea prime minister that Australia's asylum seeker detention centre on Manus Island has hurt the country's reputation have come as no surprise to some.

The newspaper, The Age, reported him as saying his government couldn't afford to resettle those found to be refugees.

It was Mr O'Neill who signed a 2012 agreement with then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard to reopen it.

Australia throws out asylum seeker challenge

The judgement opens the way for Canberra to send 267 people - including 37 babies who were born in Australia, a five-year-old boy who was allegedly raped at a detention centre, about 50 other children, and women who were sexually abused - back to Nauru.

The case was taken to the High Court of Australia by the Melbourne-based Human Rights Law Centre on behalf of the asylum seekers, who had been transferred to Australia for medical treatment or to give birth.

20 children among 44 killed in three boat sinkings off Greece.

Two accidents in the early hours off the Greek Aegean islands of Farmakonisi and Kalolimnos left 41 people dead, the Greek coastguard said.

Turkey's Dogan news agency meanwhile reported that the Turkish coastguard had found the bodies of three children after their boat sank off the beach resort of Didim.

Earlier, the Greek coastguard said 48 survivors made it to shore of Farmakonisi, which lies west of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, after their boat struck rocks early on Friday (local time).

Knight challenges Govt on asylum seekers waste dumping

Knight says the company should set up a proper incinerator to get rid of its waste.

Waste from the processing centre is being buried in holes dug on a piece of land at the Salami area of Manus.

A man who occupies the land has given permission for the company to dump waste there.

Knight says waste such as oil from vehicles, grease traps, sewage, food and many others are being dumped there.

He believes over time the waste dumped will contaminate water sources for people in the area.

Malcolm Turnbull rules out offshore detention centre refugees in Australia

He said while he was "concerned" about conditions within the offshore processing network, the Coalition did not want to encourage asylum seekers to risk their lives at sea.

Turnbull told Radio National's Drive program the Federal Government could not afford to take a backwards step on the issue.

"There will be no resettlement of the people on Manus and Nauru in Australia. They will never come to Australia," Turnbull said.

"Now, I know that's tough, we do have a tough border protection policy, you could say it's a harsh policy, but it has worked."

Nauru assaults and illness covered up by government, lawyers group says

This is showing the Australian federal government is aiding a "cover-up" of alarming conditions at the Nauru detention camp, a lawyers group says.

Data released under freedom of information laws to the Australian Lawyers Alliance shows serious incidents uncovered by the damning Moss review, and others detailed to a Senate inquiry, were not reported to Comcare, the nation's work safety regulator.