Amnesty says Aust still not handling Manus refugees right
Amnesty International says Australia needs to resettle refugees housed on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island as soon as possible.
The organisation released a new report last week saying hundreds of men were moved from one hellish situation to another in an act that resembles punishment rather than protection. The report was compiled after the refugees were forcibly removed from their old detention centre to newer, but reportedly unfinished facilities near Lorengau.
Report author Kate Schuetze said the report seeks to debunk the theory that Australia closed its old detention centre to comply with a court order.
Ms Schuetze said the court ruled it was illegal to take the refugees to PNG and detain them there and they were still largely in the same situation.
She said there was one other point the report seeks to make. “PNG is never going to be a viable option for the settlement of refugees.
“They have struggled to settle West Papuans who are considered Melanesian brothers and have that afiliation. “Refugees have been treated so poorly and dehumanised in Papua New Guinea that any form of integration efforts now are probably going to be unsuccessful,” she said.
Kate Schuetze said Australia should bring the refugees to its shores, accept a New Zealand offer to take on 150 of the men and look for additional resettlement options.