Election triggers suicide attempts

At least four refugees in Australia’s offshore Pacific camps have attempted suicide since the conservative government’s re-election on Saturday, according to refugees, advocates and police. Around 800 would-be refugees who tried to reach Australia had been sent to live in severe conditions on the remote islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s Manus under a hard-line policy from Canberra. Many had prayed for a more lenient policy from the Australian Labor Party, which had been strongly tipped to win. But an unexpected victory by incumbent Scott Morrison’s center-right coalition dashed hopes and set off a wave of self-harming that led to several hospitalizations. Manus Provincial Police Commander David Yapu said that he was aware of at least 10 suicide attempts including four over the weekend. “It’s an issue we are faced with right now,” he said.