The Governor of Papua New Guinea's Oro Province says it's saddening that his country is being used as a deterrent by Australia to ward off asylum seekers.
Gary Juffa says the PNG government has failed to consult properly about its new arrangement with Canberra whereby all boat people arriving in Australia subsequently found to be genuine refugees will be resettled in PNG.
He says Australia appears to be circumventing its obligations under the UN Convention on Refugees, which is galling given the circumstances many of the asylum seekers are in.
"If your country has participated in the bombing and destruction of their countries, you've made their life unbearable and miserable so therefore you should take care of them. And I think here of Iraq and Afghanistan as examples. And then PNG is actually aiding and abetting Australia in circumventing its international obligations."
Gary Juffa says he is concerned the arrangement damages PNG's image intentionally.
