UNHCR

The claims were part of presentations to the council by the West Papua National Committee, or KNPB, on Wednesday in Geneva.

KNPB spokesperson Victor Yeimo told the council's 40th session that Indonesian military forces in Nduga have violated Papuans' human rights.

"Joint military and police operation started last December in [the] Nduga region, [causing] excessive use of force. More than 2000 people have become IDPs [internally displaced people], houses were burned down and more than 25 civilians were dead."

“We urge the governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea to uphold their obligations under international human rights and refugee laws to respect the basic human rights of all persons concerned,” the team says in a statement.

It is reported that UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is monitoring the situation on the ground on Manus Island, and have found that: 

UNHCR's regional representative Thomas Albrecht said Australia should offer protection and respect to people arriving by boat.

He said the basic human right of every person to seek asylum from persecution is not diminished by their mode of arrival.

Mr Albrecht said those forced to flee persecution need and deserve conducive conditions of protection, and a sustainable long-term solution.

Meanwhile, the Australia-based Human Rights Law Centre says Canberra's proposed ban could affect 320 refugees already living there.

Nonetheless, 32-year-old top model Bianca Balti is more than just striking blue feline eyes and plump lips. After being approached at Milan’s Malpensa airport last September, to make a monthly donation to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) organization, she felt like doing more. So she did. Recently the Lodi-born beauty sold off items from her personal wardrobe – collected over a period of 11 years – in the name of charity.

In an open letter to Hungarian lawmakers, the UNHCR regional representative in Central Europe, said that while every country had the right to defend its borders and protect its citizens, the planned amendments "would make it impossible for people fleeing persecution to access international protection in Hungary."