The situation on Manus Island for asylum seekers who were removed from the decommissioned detention centre continues in Australian media and has been reported on in international media. In an open letter signed by 18 current and former heads of peak medical bodies and royal colleges of medicine, clinicians said they were ‘deeply concerned’ about the ongoing physical and mental health of the men removed from the detention centre on Manus Island. The group have offered to provide health checks to men in need of medical care, and called on the Australian Government to facilitate their travel to Papua New Guinea.
Immigration minister Peter Dutton reportedly did not accept requests from Australia's peak medical body, the Australian Medical Association, to send a team to assess the health of refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island. Médecins Sans Frontières was also not permitted to access to the accommodation and medical clinic, despite having been approved entry by PNG’s immigration department.
Christian leaders demonstrated in Sydney to protest against Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island. This protest follows a day after thousands of people gathered across Australia to call for the Australian Government to end offshore detention.
Around 10 case management staff from the company JDA Wokman who were contracted to work with refugees on Manus Island were told to leave the island after a protest at one of the refugee accommodation centres. Manus Province’s police commander said the protest was by landowners linked to the company Peren Investments.
Around 70 refugees currently on Nauru, mainly single men from Pakistan and Afghanistan and some single women, were reportedly accepted for resettlement in the United States. Up to 90 refugees are expected to be accepted in this round of resettlement offers.
This week the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination undertook a two-day review of Australia, asking government representatives to explain progress in promoting racial equality and tackling racism, which included the situation of asylum seekers and refugees amongst other topics.
In international news, Pope Francis visited Myanmar and Bangladesh this week. Pope Francis acknowledged Bangladesh in extending humanitarian care to more than 600,000 Rohingya refugees who have crossed the border in recent months, but he was criticised for not adequately raise awareness of the crisis while in Myanmar. Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding for the return home of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh.