A further 35 refugees departed Nauru to the US, the third cohort of refugees to leave Nauru as part of the Australia-US resettlement deal. Over 200 refugees have now flown to the US from either Nauru or Manus Island under this deal. The majority of this third cohort to depart Nauru are from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Myanmar; Iranians are reportedly being excluded from the deal due to the US ‘Travel Ban’ which affects people from six Muslim-majority countries attempting to enter the US.
Asylum seekers on Manus Island were allegedly attacked and injured by PNG Defence Force soldiers while walking through town in Lorengau, the closest town to the Australian-run accommodation facilities. The injured men were subsequently transferred to hospital for treatment. PNG Police warned asylum seekers in the Australian-run facilities to stay indoors and not venture into town, provoking further fears for safety.
A Sri Lankan asylum seeker is expected to be deported from Australia due to the Australian Government’s scepticism of his claimed links to the Tamil Tigers. The asylum seeker claims that he once built warships for the Tamil Tigers and states that he will face torture, disappearance or death if returned to Sri Lanka. This follows a recent decision by the United Nations Committee Against Torture to lift a temporary deportation ban on the man. International concerns remain over the dangers that Tamil asylum seekers risk facing upon being returned to Sri Lanka.
Amnesty International’s annual global human rights assessment condemned Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers and refugees in offshore detention centres, claiming that asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru and Manus Island are subjected to cruel, degrading, and brutal treatment as well as neglect and abuse. The assessment also found that the increase in hate-filled rhetoric and policies in Australia has fuelled bigotry and discrimination against minority groups.
In other news, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott linked Australia’s migration intake with cost and quality of living issues in Australia, and proposed slashing the intake by 80,000 migrants per year. Abbott’s comments caused a flurry of responses and rebuttals from his coalition colleagues; Treasurer Scott Morrison claimed that such a reduction in migration would negatively impact on the budget billions per year, and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann stated the importance of skilled migration to enable economic growth.