Conflicting accounts on volatile Manus Island refugee camp
Australia's Immigration Minister says the situation at the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea remains volatile, after authorities ended a stand-off between asylum seekers and guards.
Transcript
Australia's Immigration Minister says the situation at the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea remains volatile, after authorities ended a stand-off between asylum seekers and guards.
The governments of both Australia and Papua New Guinea have played down the extent of the protests, but refugee advocates say guards violently stormed Delta compound on Monday night after a week of hunger strikes and self-harm.
PNG's immigration minister has blamed refugee advocates for stoking the unrest, and hasn't ruled out a crackdown on communications.
Jamie Tahana reports.
The asylum seekers in Oscar compound had been on hunger strike for a week when guards entered on Monday night.
However, conflicting reports have emerged of just how the blockade came to an end.
PNG's Immigration Minister, Rimbink Pato, says his Chief Migration officer, Mataio Rabura managed to negotiate the end of a blockade at the centre at about 4:30 in the afternoon.
Mr Pato says Mr Rabura explained the resettlement process, promising that those found to be refugees would be resettled.
RIMBINK PATO: "All I can say to you is that order has been restored, everything is under control and there was peace and calm. The Chief Migration Officer, because of the relative calmness of the situation, is returning as we speak."
The head of the Refugee Action Coalition, Ian Rintoul, says instead of Mr Pato's version of events, guards forcibly entered the compound and detained a number of people.
IAN RINTOUL: "The security staff ended up forcibly breaking through the front gate and breaking through the barricade to enter delta compound and there is no doubt at all that physical force was used against people in the delta compound, people across the road in Oscar could see people being handcuffed and being dragged across the ground."
Video obtained by Radio New Zealand International appears to show guards entering Delta compound last night.
AUDIO CLIP FROM VIDEO
Ian Rintoul says 58 people are now in Lorengau prison, while some other detainees have been moved to an isolation unit within the detention centre, while hundreds of people remain on hunger strike.
Both PNG Police and the camp's operator, Transfield Services, didn't respond to requests for comment by deadline.
The chief executive of Australia's Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Kon Karapanagiotidis says the protests show no sign of abating, despite this blockade having ended.
He says with the anniversary of the death of Iranian asylum seeker Reza Barati, who was killed in a violent crackdown on unrest at the centre approaching in February, he fears the latest protests will again spill over into bloodshed like they did last year.
KON KARAPANAGIOTIDIS: "Australia has killed more refugees than it has resettled in two years. So what we see are men at a breaking point which led to about 750 going on hunger strike, over 100 needing medical attention because of dehydration and hunger strike and then up to 58 in prison today for peacefully protesting their indefinite detention in squalid conditions."
PNG's Foreign Minister, Rimbink Pato, has confirmed that asylum seekers have been moved to isolation, although he didn't have exact numbers.
However, he blames refugee advocates for stoking the unrest, accusing them of interfering in the resettlement process and accusing them of spreading propaganda about PNG to asylum seekers.
Mr Pato says communications restrictions could be implemented as a result.
RIMBINK PATO: Well you see all that material that is published, no one has access to the centre except the Australian and the PNG Government, so with the internet and other access that is available, they're directly linking in with the asylum seekers so how we can control that information is also being addressed by the Australian government and by the PNG government so that they will get correct information that's in their best interests and in the best interest of the PNG government, the Australian government and the international who is concerned about human trafficking and people smuggling and transnational crime, which has brought them to the situation that they are faced with.
JAMIE TAHANA: Looking at controlling communication. What does that mean?
RP: Well, we will try what's the best way to provide information, I'm not a IT expert so I'm not able to get into the technicalities of it, but clearly we want them to get correct information so that they will act in their best interests.
JT: So you're looking at reviewing at how these communications are happening to stop refugee advocates from accessing the centre?
RP: Particularly from who do not serve their best interests, but as to how we will do that, that's a matter for the experts, we'll get some advice on it but in the time-being we need to address the issue at hand which is being addressed in the best way possible with due regard to the circumstances of the requirements of the situation.
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