Immigration officials are in the process of shutting down the Manus Island detention centre, although hundreds of asylum seekers are refusing to leave. A notice posted at the centre stated that refugees should move to the East Lorengau Refugee Transit Centre without delay and that failure to cooperate would hinder their chances of being accepted for resettlement in the USA.
On Monday, former immigration department spokesperson Sandi Logan posted to Twitter that Australian Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg was ‘under external investigation’ and had been suspended. Sources claim that the investigation is due to ‘personal behaviour’.
Andrew Goledzinowski, Australia’s ambassador for people smuggling and human trafficking, stated that although most of the refugees detained on Manus Island and Nauru are to be resettled in the USA, New Zealand’s offer to take 150 refugees has not yet been rejected outright.