Transcript
For years, the Manus Provincial Police Commander David Yapu has dealt with the impact of hundreds of young, male refugees foisted on his community by Australia.
Conflict and crime are just some of the problems Mr Yapu has faced but its only now with refugee suicide attempts reaching epidemic proportions that the police commander has turned to policy makers in Port Moresby.
"There must be some intervention from the government because the trend of attempted suicide is growing. Anything drastic can happen, meaning that they can lose their life. This is something that I don't want to see."
Refugees have reported about 40 suicide attempts or incidents of self harm since the Australian election on the 18th of May, a statistic borne out by Mr Yapu's plea in which he described two attempted hangings and a failed self immolation last week, while admitting the situation was beyond his control.
In desperation he's tasked a division of PNG's notorious Mobile Squad to squad to police the three refugee compounds on the island to discourage suicide attempts.
"Our presence there is very important so that that will deter any situation that arises in those camps."
The suicide attempts have so far been foiled by other refugees and security staff, but with a new cabinet soon to be unveiled in Port Moresby, the Catholic Dean of Manus province says its time for the government to intervene.
Father Clement Taulam says the church will continue to petition politicians to take a fresh look at the situation on Manus.
"It's important for us to look at the plight of these refugees and try to present it to the new government that we have now. And we can only hope that they can do something for them, because the people of Manus when we look at them we feel sorry for them."
The advocate Ian Rintoul says the PNG government should also take note of what he calls inadequate refugee healthcare being provided by Pacific International Hospital or PIH and the subsequent pressure put on Lorengau General Hospital.
"The PIH clinic is effectively just a GP clinic it's got no real facilities, but for what's happening in terms of the attempted suicides and the self harm, it's just not equipped and they have been sending people to the Lorgenau hospital but it's not equipped either. The Lorengau hospital has sent everybody back to their compounds, because it just can't cope. It needed beds for local people. It's got no psychologist whatsoever."
Father Taulam agrees the hospital can't cope and that PIH is failing the refugees.
"When these men go up to the hospital, there's no one looking after them at the hospital. Sometimes we have another refugee looking after another in the hospital. And you know with two of them with those kind of difficulties that they're going through how would they look after themselves? So I don't think the hospital has that medication for them. PIH was engaged, but again, it doesn't seem to work out well. I think people are not really fulfilling their responsibilities to look after these people."
PIH did not respond to questions regarding its ability to cope with the attempted suicides.
But the refugee and celebrated author Behrouz Boochani says depressed refugees refusing food are also being failed by the Australian contracted health provider.
"In fact they are doing nothing, and the sick refugees and the people who attempt suicide or self harm rely on the local hospital. So that's why I think the local people and the authorities are very angry at Australian government and PIH company, because they spend so much money for this company, but they are doing nothing."
Mr Boochani says the new PNG government should prioritise ending the humanitarian crisis on Manus Island over the money Australia is paying to prolong it.
