Conspiracy alleged in asylum seeker death on Manus
Refugee advocates are accusing authorities in Papua New Guinea and Australia of a conspiracy to cover-up an investigation into the death of an asylum seeker at the Manus Island detention centre in February.
Transcript
Refugee advocates are accusing authorities in Papua New Guinea and Australia of a conspiracy to cover-up an investigation into the death of an asylum seeker at the Manus Island detention centre in February.
The company that ran the centre when the violent clashes occurred has refused to cooperate with the investigation, and the Australian Federal Police have declined a request to help Papua New Guinea police.
Jamie Tahana reports.
When Reza Berati, who was from Iran, was killed at the Manus Island detention centre on the night of February 17th, local guards employed by the company contracted to run the centre, G4S, were identified by police as being responsible for the attacks. But PNG's deputy police commissioner, Simon Kauba, says they've hit a stumbling block in their investigation, because G4S management refused to be interviewed. Mr Kauba also confirmed that the Australian Federal Police have turned down a request to help with the investigation. The AFP, who currently have about 70 officers in PNG to assist police, says it refused because it has no operational jurisdiction in PNG. But the spokesperson for the Australia-based Refugee Action Coalition, Ian Rintoul, says there's more to it.
IAN RINTOUL: I think we've got authorities in Papua New Guinea and Australia who have got no interest whatsoever in getting to the bottom of who killed Reza Berati and who is responsible for the attack on 80-odd other asylum seekers on Manus Island.
There have been more obstacles. Three weeks ago, a PNG High Court judge, David Cannings, launched an inquiry into basic human rights on Manus and revealed harrowing details of conditions after visiting the centre with a group of lawyers and journalists. But the PNG government appealed to the Supreme Court, claiming Justice Cannings was biased, and the Supreme Court ordered that the inquiry be adjourned. One of the journalists who visited the centre with Justice Cannings is Todagia Kelola, who says the inquiry has been held up even further because one of the lawyers representing asylum seekers has turned out to be unregistered.
TODAGIA KELOLA: Unfortunately the public solicitor, Fraser Pitpit, is yet to get his Papua New Guinea lawyers practicing certificate. Now, Mr Pitpit is saying that he cannot get his certificate unless the auditor-general gives his statutory organisation the green light.
But in an unusual twist, Justice Cannings immediately launched another inquiry and granted an Australian barrister, Jay Williams, access to the centre to interview 75 detainees he's representing. But Mr Williams was deported on Friday after being ejected from Manus, but he returned to PNG on Monday and was detained at the border and returned on a flight to Cairns the next day. The Australia Greens Senator, Sarah Hanson-Young, says a cover up is emerging. She wasn't available to be interviewed by deadline, but in a statement says all of these investigations striking all of these hurdles points to a dangerous, coordinated attempt to hide the truth.
STATEMENT FROM SARAH HANSON-YOUNG: This looks like a cover-up, it smells like a cover-up and the stench is getting worse every single day. The paranoid level of secrecy that has surrounded any attempt to find out what really happened on the night Mr Berati was killed has left many people wondering what the government is trying to hide.
The Refugee Action Coalition's, Ian Rintoul, says he has no faith that any arrests will ever be made.
IAN RINTOUL: To be honest I've got no confidence that there will be arrests. I do think however that we are likely to get to the bottom of it because I think too many people know what happened. That information will come out, I just don't think it's going to be because of anything that the authorities do.
But Simon Kauba disputes this, saying the investigation by PNG police is progressing well and they will get to the bottom of it.
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