Law enforcement officials in Papua New Guinea moved to evict hundreds of asylum seekers from a former detention center on Manus Island after the Australian government closed it late last month.
Hundreds of men have been holed up at the center for more than three weeks, refusing to move to a nearby town over fear of reprisals from local residents. But immigration officials and local police entered the facility on Thursday, according to media reports and videos, aggressively shouting at holdouts to leave.
Advertisement
Some of the men at the center were reportedly in need of medical help during the encounter, and others said authorities were destroying their property in an attempt to make them leave.
We need urgent help any Dr of nurses we have one refugee in very bad conditions pic.twitter.com/voXXtSQUYI
They destroying all our property. They are so angry, and telling us leave our land First they said move to town,now more angry and telling us leave our land otherwise we will kill u. Police commissioner Yapu said: It's an Order from Australian and PNG governments to move u out pic.twitter.com/uyA7p4wcsI
“Immigration and police started searching the rooms and are saying ‘Move, Move,’ you only have an hour to move,” Behrouz Boochani, a Kurdish journalist and asylum seeker inside the detention center, wrote on Twitter. “Too much stress and tension here in Delta. Some refugees are crying.”
Advertisement
Australia, by law, refuses to resettle any migrants who attempt to travel to the country by boat to seek asylum, an attempt to discourage people from making the dangerous and often deadly crossing. The Australian government had paid Papua New Guinea to house hundreds of detainees captured at sea since 2013 at the Manus Island detention center but announced earlier this year that it would close the controversial facility on Oct. 31.
More than 400 people were inside the facility before authorities began storming it on Thursday, a mix of recognized refugees and people still seeking political asylum.
Last month, access to water, electricity and food at the center was cut off, and Australia said those still in the facility would need to move to another in a nearby town, but hundreds of the men refused. Conditions quickly deteriorated at the center, and on Wednesday the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said the event was a “manmade and entirely preventable humanitarian crisis.”
“It is a damning indictment of a policy meant to avoid Australia’s international obligations,” Nai Jit Lam, the UNHCR’s deputy regional representative for Australia, said. “Australia has in effect created and then abandoned a humanitarian crisis at the doorstep of the international community.”
Advertisement
On Thursday, Australia’s immigration minister, Peter Dutton, said he believed it was “outrageous” that people were still living at the Manus facility after the government attempted to close it.
“They’ve trashed the facility. They’re living in squalor,” Dutton told local radio station 2GB. “The Australian taxpayers have paid about $10 million for a new facility and we want people to move.”
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on the men to move peacefully to the new center.
“They should do so in accordance with the lawful directs of Papua New Guinea,” he said.
Dominic Kakas, a spokesman for Papua New Guinea police, told Australia’s Fairfax Media that around 50 people were at the center “just talking to people and getting them to move out.” Kakas said authorities were destroying rainwater tanks in an effort to prevent a health crisis.
“We just don’t understand why they are refusing to move. The longer they stay, people might get sick and die,” he said.
The ongoing situation on Manus and at another detention center on the island country of Nauru have become contentious political issues in Australia, sparking a string of protests, including a rally that effectively shut down parts of Melbourne earlier this month.
Advertisement
Some have launched ongoing calls for Turnbull to allow the detainees to resettle in the country. He has repeatedly refused, saying the strict policies have curbed dangerous immigration practices.
New Zealand’s new prime minister, Jacinda Arden, has offered to accept 150 people under a deal brokered by her predecessor, but the Australian government has been reluctant to accept that pledge, with Turnbull saying it could open a “back door” into his country.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.