A detainee on Manus Island says there'll be more violence between refugees and local people if the government pushes ahead with plans to re-settle asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea.
In the latest altercation on Saturday, a Somali refugee sustained a serious head injury after he was attacked in Lorengau by locals wielding stones.
The Human Rights Law Centre in Australia says the incident follows other unprovoked attacks on refugees and demonstrates that the Australian government should bring the detainees to safety in Australia.
The Kurdish Iranian detainee, Behrouz Boochani says people on Manus Island live in fear of the 900 men detained there.
"There is not any job there but they are scared from us because we are 900 men and this island has a small community and the people are scared of cultural problems," he said.
"I'm sure that if they settle us by force in PNG will be a big tragedy for us and for local people."
Behrouz Boochani says Manus Island locals are also victims of Australia's offshore detention policy.
