Central Division power outage planned for the weekend
H ired Fijian security service officers leave for Papua New Guinea (PNG) next week ahead of the controversial closure of the immigration detention centre on Manus Island.
The 42 men, who are former Fijian military, police and correctional service officers, were recruited by the PNGbased security firm Paladin Solutions to assist PNG authorities maintain peace on the island during the relocation process.
“The place where you are going to serve is not an easy place. You need to be physically as well as mentally fit,” Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Jone Usamate told those present yesterday. “Remember, you are representing Fiji wherever you go. What you do will reflect back to us staying in Fiji.
“Your spiritual life is most important in going out to the field. We can tackle all obstacles that come our way with that.”
The Australian and PNG governments have aimed for the smooth transfer of asylum seekers on the island to a new location amid deteriorating relations between the refugees and locals.
“The personnel are going there to look after the relationship between the asylum seekers and the natives,” said director of the security group in Fiji, Isireli Tamanitoakula. “They are trained to uphold the principle of integrity and also the protection of all civilians.
“I know the nation will be proud of what these men are going to do in PNG.”
A Human Rights Watch report said an estimated 770 refugee men are on the island where they had suffered “assaults and robberies” by locals.
The report added the transfer of these refugees to a new location in PNG poses an even greater risk to their safety. “While the October 31 deadline looms, refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island have been getting stabbed, beaten, and robbed,” Australian director at Human Rights Watch Elaine Pearson is quoted on their website.