Weekly media wrap - 9 June 2018

A Canberra law firm representing a number of Commonwealth Games athletes seeking asylum in Australia said that the Department of Home Affairs rejected requests by their clients to postpone protection visa interviews so they could access psychological counselling.

A report by the Australian National Audit Office found that the merger between the departments of Immigration and Customs to create the Australian Border Force had not delivered expected budget savings or promised benefits. The report also stated that 'urgent and significant action' was needed to address the department's ongoing record keeping problems.

$70 million in compensation was paid to former Manus Island detainees, bringing Australia's largest human rights class action settlement closer to an end. The class action was settled a year ago without any admission of liability by the Australian Government.

The Australian reported that the Labor Party is facing a ‘grassroots revolt’ over refugee policy ahead of its NSW conference on June 30, with city and country branches of the party lobbying for changes to Australia’s offshore system.

In international news, more than 100 people died attempting to reach Europe after their boat sank off the coast of Tunisia. More than 65 others were rescued by the coast guard. The International Organization for Migration said the shipwreck was the most deadly in the Mediterranean Sea since February 2, when 90 people drowned off the coast of Libya. 

Weekly media wrap - 3 June 2018

Memorials were held around Australia and on Manus Island for Salim Kyawning, the Rohingya refugee who died on Manus Island after jumping from a moving bus. Salim allegedly faced significant mental health issues while in detention, as well as epilepsy and frequent seizures, for which he had previously been sent to Australia for treatment. Fellow refugees on Manus Island claim that his death demonstrates serious health care concerns for those remaining on the island.

The Victorian Labor Conference’s scheduled debate on refugee policy was voted down at the last minute. Various unions joined forces to unexpectedly shut down the Conference and defer various motions to Labor’s administrative committee. It was originally anticipated that the conference would consider the closure of offshore detention centres and bringing remaining asylum seekers to Australia, amongst other social policy issues. The debate shutdown disappointed many party members who want Labor’s border protection and indefinite detention policies reconsidered, or at least debated. Confusion remains as to Labor’s overall policy position with varying views being voiced amongst party members.

Residents  of the small town of Biloela in Queensland used the platform of TV program Q&A to make a public plea to Minister Dutton to allow a Tamil asylum seeker family to stay in Australia, following the removal of the family into the custody of Border Force earlier this year. The family has lived in Biloela for approximately three years, and the two children were born in Australia. The government claims that the family does not meet the requirements for protection in Australia. Residents of the town began a petition which now has more than 100,000 signatures.

The government may consider expanding a pilot program to assist skilled refugees to become requalified in Australia. The assistant minister responsible for the program, Nationals MP David Gillespie, said the pilot was showing positive results and that he had been discussing the scheme and employment opportunities with industry leaders, settlement services and key sectors. However, this proposal comes soon after the recent federal budget announcement requiring refugees to spend six months on Centrelink payments accessing employment services, as well as debates around regional and rural employment visas and proposals to prevent migrants from leaving regional and rural areas.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that Australia’s refugee resettlement deal with Cambodia will expire, as planned, at the end of 2018. This resettlement deal has been described as ‘unsuccessful’ due to significantly low number of refugees who took up the offer to relocate from the detention centres in Nauru to Cambodia. 

Weekly media wrap - 27 May 2018

The Australian Minister for Home Affairs raised the prospect of considering a New Zealand offer to resettle 150 refugees held in offshore detention, on the proviso that they would be banned from coming to Australia. Media reports this as a bid to pressure the opposition to support legislation to stop anybody who arrived by boat from ever reaching Australia’s shores.

A Rohingya refugee man reportedly committed suicide this week on Manus Island after jumping out of a moving vehicle. Refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island will hold a vigil on Friday for Salim, who is the seventh to die on the island and the third apparent suicide in less than a year. Salim had been on Manus Island for almost five years.

Also on Manus Island, 120 asylum seekers have been relocated on the island after a fire broke out in their accommodation. No injuries have been reported, but there was significant damage to the accommodation facility.

Doctors on Nauru have made repeated requests to the Australian Border Force to move a terminally ill refugee off the island to receive palliative care, which cannot be provided on Nauru. He is currently in the Australian-built RPC1 camp on the island, which doctors on the island have said is ‘dangerously inadequate’.

An edited transcript of a television interview by Labor MP Linda Burney on asylum seekers was distributed through Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's office. The edits removed Burney’s calls for a ‘time limit’ on the offshore detention of refugees. Ms Burney's office has taken responsibility and described the incident as a ‘stuff up’.

The Victorian state Labor conference this weekend is expected to discuss Labor’s policy towards asylum seekers and refugees, and debate an urgency motion calling for an end to offshore immigration detention and the transfer of all remaining asylum seekers to the Australian mainland within 90 days.

In a press briefing this week, the UNHCR highlighted a significant increase in the number of people fleeing persecution in the North of Central America, calling on the international community to address their protection needs. More than 294,000 asylum seekers and refugees from the North of Central America were registered globally as of the end of 2017, an increase of 58 per cent from a year earlier. 

Weekly media wrap - 19 May 2018

A significant number of athletes who went missing during the Commonwealth Games have sought asylum in Australia. Five athletes were granted bridging visas in Canberra while their claims for protection are assessed. Refugee advocates claimed they had helped many others lodge applications for protection; some estimated up to 100 people nationally could be seeking refugee status. 

The Guardian Australia reported that the Department of Home Affairs is withdrawing income support and housing from up to 100 refugees and asylum seekers from Nauru and Manus Island who are in Australia for medical treatment. The group will receive a final departure bridging visa E, which includes the right to work but no financial assistance. Refugee advocates said the group was largely made up of family groups and elderly people with serious physical and mental health issues.

Amnesty International criticised the Australian Government for reducing critical health services on Manus Island. A report by the organisation labeled cuts to health care 'inexplicable' in an environment with one of the highest rates of mental illness in the world. Meanwhile, an Iranian refugee, Fatemah, and her 17-year-old son were returned to Nauru from Taiwan against medical advice. Fatemah and her son were transferred to Taiwan to receive critical heart surgery and treatment for severe mental illness respectively. 

Bill Shorten said a future Labor government would not place time limits on offshore immigration detention, despite a draft party platform prepared for Labor's national conference in July calling for asylum seekers to not be held on Manus Island and Nauru longer than 90 days.

In international news, Greece’s parliament passed a bill to ease overcrowding on its island refugee camps – which currently hold more than double their capacity – and to make asylum procedures simpler and faster. Human rights groups criticised the bill for also shortening appeals processes. 

Weekly media wrap - 12 May 2018

Malaysian police intercepted a boat carrying 131 asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, bound for Australia or New Zealand. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the people smuggling operation had been running since mid-2017. In response, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said ‘the need for Operation Sovereign Borders is as vital today as it was when it began.’

In relation to refugees in Papua New Guinea, Minister Dutton said resettlement to another country was very unlikely. Refugees in the country hope to be resettled under an agreement between Australia and the United States entered into in 2015. While the agreement provides for the resettlement of up to 1250 refugees from PNG and Nauru, the United States is under no obligation to accept that number.

In Nauru, Iranian and Somali refugees seeking resettlement to the United States have been rejected, apparently in line with the Trump Administration ‘travel ban’. The Guardian reported that 85 refugees have been resettled from Manus Island and 162 from Nauru. UNHCR pointed out that over 80 per cent of asylum seekers transferred by Australia to PNG and Nauru have been recognised as refugees, therefore requiring a durable solution.

In Rome, seventeen people applied to the European Court of Human Rights claiming that Italy violated absolute norms of human rights law in providing aid and assistance to Libyan border authorities. A number of the applicants, who were rescued at sea and returned to Libya in November 2017, were allegedly detained and treated inhumanely.

Weekly media wrap - 5 May 2018

A Federal Court judge delayed a decision regarding an asylum seeker family facing deportation to Sri Lanka. The judge adjourned to review the arguments before making her decision, requesting the Department of Home Affairs not to deport the family. Residents of the family’s small Queensland town have protested at the Federal Court, asking for the family to be allowed to return home. The family of four had overstayed their bridging visa by one day.

Penny Wong, Labor leader in the Senate, indicated that her party should be advocating for a limit on the time asylum seekers spend in detention, in response to a poll that found 50 per cent of voters support a 90-day limit on holding asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull accused Labor of ‘rolling out the welcome mat to the people smugglers’.

A United Nations Security Council delegation commenced a visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar this week. In Bangladesh the delegation was witnessing the circumstances of Rohingya Muslims in camps housing the refugees who fled Myanmar and the military-led violence. Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in December to begin repatriating the refugees in January. The UNHCR and Bangladesh recently finalised a memorandum of understanding to ensure the repatriation process must be ‘safe, voluntary and dignified ... in line with international standards’.

US immigration officials ­announced that a busy border crossing was at capacity to process asylum seekers, in advance of hundreds of Central Americans arriving to the US border to ask for asylum. The migrant caravan received attention after the US Government called it a threat to America. 

Weekly media wrap - 28 April 2018

Former commissioner of the Australian Border Force, Roman Quaedvlieg, admitted that the ABF has often obstructed genuine medical transfers required for asylum seekers on Nauru. Ongoing tension remains between the ABF and medical practitioners regarding medical transfers out of offshore processing, with the transfer of many critically ill patients being refused or delayed. These admissions come at a time when the Australian Government’s health contractor has deemed medical facilities on Nauru as unsafe for surgery.

In related news, 12-year old asylum seeker boy, Ali, released a series of videos from his tent in Nauru, describing his state of despair and the severe depression of his mother and brother. Doctors have recommended for over a year that Ali’s mother be transferred to Australia to seek urgent medical treatment, and concerns have also been raised about the mental health of Ali himself after several attempts at self-harm.

Indonesian fishermen rescued a boatload of 76 Rohingya refugees off the coast of Aceh, Indonesia. The refugees, fleeing Myanmar, claimed to be seeking to reach Australia.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Police, with assistance from Australian Federal Police, busted a complex people-smuggling network planning to transport fake Rohingya refugees to Australia. The three alleged people smugglers are said to be Rohingya, Bangladeshi and Indonesian, and had allegedly organised fake papers for six Bangladeshi men previously residing in Malaysia, with the papers stating they were Muslim Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar.

A political debate was sparked following proposals that the Australian War Memorial commemorate navy personnel involved in Operation Sovereign Borders, including those who were involved in the policy of boat turnbacks. Various Labor and Greens MPs have described the idea, proposed by the memorial’s director Brendan Nelson, as igniting culture wars on the sensitive topic of asylum seeker policy and politicising Australia’s armed forces.

Weekly media wrap - 22 April 2018

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said that it had not received any asylum applications from South African white farmers, after Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton expressed interest in the farmers in March. UNHCR further suggested that the group would not qualify for refugee status, noting that ‘[u]nder the 1951 Refugee Convention, a person must be outside their country of origin in order to claim asylum.’

The Australian High Court unanimously upheld a fast-track refugee assessment process introduced in 2014 to handle the claims of 30,000 asylum seekers who arrived in Australia by boat before 2013.

Fifty refugees will soon depart Papua New Guinea and Nauru for resettlement in the United States, under a bilateral agreement between the Australian and American governments. According to The Guardian, 145 refugees have already left Nauru and 85 have left Papua New Guinea.

Refugee advocacy groups are lobbying the Australian Government to create a private refugee sponsorship avenue in Australia. The proposed Community Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (CRSI) would begin with 5000 additional places per year, in addition to Australia’s existing humanitarian intake. 

Weekly media wrap - 14 April 2018

An Afghan refugee on Manus Island was stabbed with a screwdriver in his shoulders, back and neck after refusing to hand over his phone to three men in the town of Lorengau. The man was given basic treatment at Lorengau hospital but began to have breathing difficulties after he returned to the accommodation compound. Fellow refugees called a doctor in Australia for medical advice, claiming later that cutbacks to Australian-funded medical services on the island forced them to do so.

Meanwhile, the Australian Medical Students Association protested against Australia's offshore detention system. The group argued that the policy is unacceptable and inhumane.

Sky News reported that the Australian Government asked New Zealand to keep its offer of resettling 150 refugees on the table, despite refusing the offer in public. Government papers obtained by Sky News showed the Australian Government wanted a backup plan in case the US resettlement deal was unsuccessful.

Shadow Minister for Immigration Shayne Neumann said the Labor Party supports all eligible refugees having the option to apply for resettlement in the US, including those who are in Australia for medical treatment. Neumann argued that such a policy would allow refugee families separated between offshore detention and Australia to be reunited.

In international news, US National Guard members started arriving at the US-Mexico border, following a direction by President Donald Trump. On Trump's orders, Defense Secretary James Mattis authorised the funding for up to 4000 National Guard troops for the operation to stop migrant crossings. 

Weekly media wrap - 8 April 2018

The South African government claimed that Australia retracted its plans to fast-track visas to white South African farmers. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton denied that his offer of humanitarian support had been withdrawn and is reportedly considering ‘several’ applications.

Nauru ended a long standing agreement that allowed appeals to the High Court of Australia. The move will have a significant impact on asylum seekers held on Nauru, who will have ‘virtually no rights if rights of appeal to the high court are taken away’, according to human rights lawyer George Newhouse.

Humanitarian migrants from specified countries, including South Sudan, Somalia and Iran, were excluded from resettlement under Australia’s Community Support Program. Eight priority countries were determined for inclusion in the Program: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Syria and Iraq. Members of Australia’s South Sudanese community criticised the exclusion, citing discrimination.

Peter Dutton argued that the 1951 United Nations refugee convention is outdated and should be reviewed by ‘like-minded’ countries. He suggested that rather than countries accepting a ‘token’ number of displaced people, support should be given to international refugee camps. Madeline Gleeson, from the Kaldor Centre for International Law, argued that international support and resettlement were both critically important and that ‘one cannot replace the other’.

International advisors warned that the coming monsoon season could result in ‘enormous deaths’ among the 700,000 Rohingya currently living in refugee camps at Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. A repatriation deal between Myanmar and Bangladesh has been delayed, forcing a race against time to prepare new homes on a Bangladeshi island before the monsoons arrive.

Weekly media wrap - 31 March 2018

The Federal Government’s plan to cut the Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) payment for people on bridging visas is expected to take effect from 1 April 2018, impacting asylum seekers currently living in communities. Advocacy organisations came together this week to raise concerns over the changes to eligibility, warning that it could lead to homelessness and destitution. This income support provides for living allowance, assistance in finding housing, casework support and counselling.

Following a recent visit to the Nauru immigration detention centre, the Asia Pacific director for UNHCR strongly urged the Federal Government reconsider its offshore processing policy, highlighting concern about detainees' mental health and risk of self-harm as well as family separations.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten said the Labor Party has concern for the treatment of asylum seekers in offshore detention and for people being held in indefinite detention, but confirmed he has ‘no interest’ in changing Labor’s position on asylum boat turnbacks.

A Senate Inquiry report was released this week, which considers legislation that would implement a redress scheme to compensate survivors of child sexual abuse. Immigration authorities submitted that allowing people on temporary visas to apply for compensation under the scheme would increase the government’s financial exposure. The current design of the scheme has raised concern that people in offshore detention or on temporary visas may be excluded from compensation.

Germany’s interior minister is progressing with plans to hold asylum seekers in centres for up to 18 months while their applications are being processed. The first centre is expected to be established in 2018 in Bavaria.

Weekly media wrap - 24 March 2018

A 10 year old refugee boy with severe mental health issues and at risk of suicide was flown, along with his mother, from Nauru to Australia for treatment following a Federal Court order. The court cited significant risk of suicide if he was not provided immediate acute psychological care in Australia. The Department of Home Affairs argued that sufficient care is available on Nauru and that the boy should be treated there, and had rejected previous attempts to transfer the boy in 2017.

Papua New Guinea requested Australia set a deadline for resettling all refugees currently on Manus Island to third countries. The PNG Government identified that recent attempts to resettle refugees in PNG have generally not been successful and that many refugees may not be settled in the US under its deal with Australia. Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop noted that Australia is not considering new resettlement countries.

Despite criticism and diplomatic tension, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton remained steadfast with his proposal to provide special attention and fast-track visas to white South African farmers allegedly targeted in land seizures and violence. South Africa’s foreign ministry responded, describing Dutton’s comments as ‘offensive’ and demanding that they be retracted. Tony Abbott supported Dutton’s proposal, whilst many in the Greens party described it as a throwback to the White Australia policy.

The Labor Party may consider a plan to increase Australia's annual intake of refugees to 50,000. The policy submission, currently in the early stages of consideration by Labor’s policy committee, also includes proposals to bring all refugees on Nauru and Manus Island to Australia, and a Royal Commission into immigration detention. 

Weekly media wrap - 17 March 2018

Refugee advocacy groups claimed that government cuts to the status resolution support service (SRSS) provided to around 12,000 asylum seekers leave them at risk of poverty and homelessness.

A Sri Lankan family remains in Australia, after an attempted deportation by the Australian Border Force. The family of four has lived in Australia for four years. The mother, Priya, has not received a final rejection of her asylum claim.

An Iranian refugee in Nauru, Fatemeh, was flown to Taiwan for critical heart surgery. Previously, the surgery was planned for Australia, but the Australian Border Force would not allow her son to travel with her. Fatemeh and her son, 17, flew to Taipei at Australian government expense.

Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei criticised Australian asylum policy while visiting the country for the Sydney Biennale. He said, ‘There is no excuse for any kind of policy which does not consider or protect very basic human rights.’

Weekly media wrap - 3 March 2018

Dangerous mould levels at the Nauru detention centre continued to make news. A former worker at the centre revealed the then Department of Immigration paid $50,000 for a dangerous and ineffective industrial steam cleaner to tackle the problem, while leaked emails revealed then centre operator Transfield worried asylum seekers would riot over mould levels. The microbiologist contracted by Transfield in 2014 to assess the mould said the contamination was ‘of epic proportions’.

ASIO Director-General Duncan Lewis denied the agency slowed down visa processing for asylum seekers who came to Australia by boat before 2013 – as requested by the Department of Immigration in 2013 – but said the cohort was a lower priority. Mr Lewis said it was not unusual for ASIO to receive letters from the Secretary of the Department of Immigration.

Australia’s first session as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council was undermined by a report from the UN’s special rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer, stating that deterrence-based refugee policies are fundamentally wrong. The report said deterrence policies – like Australia's offshore program – were the major reason migrants were exploited and abused.

A group of Coptic Christian asylum seekers in Melbourne appealed directly to Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to avoid deportation to Egypt when their visas expire within weeks. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan asylum seeker deported from Australia last week due to the Australian Government’s scepticism of his claimed links to the Tamil Tigers has allegedly been harassed by Sri Lankan security forces since his return.

The National Gallery of Victoria ended its contract with Wilson Security, but did not state that it was due to the company's involvement in offshore detention. The gallery was consistently petitioned by national and international artists and activists to sever ties with the security company implicated in the Nauru Files.

In Israel, more than 20,000 people protested against a government policy of detaining and deporting African asylum seekers who refuse to leave the country. Seven Eritrean asylum seekers have already been transferred to an Israeli prison indefinitely after refusing to be deported to Rwanda.

Weekly media wrap - 24 February 2018

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.

Weekly media wrap - 17 February 2018

A further 18 refugees left Manus Island for resettlement in the United States of America, in addition to the 22 who left the island earlier in the week. The Australian reported that it is expected that more refugees who are currently on Manus Island and Nauru will transfer to the United States by the end of this month, bringing the total number of people accepted to about 200. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton confirmed that 135 refugees had transferred to the United States from Manus Island and Nauru. UNHCR raised concern about Australia’s offshore regime and urged for alternative solutions to be found.

Two groups of asylum seekers from El Salvador were in Costa Rica, reportedly for clearance to resettle in Australia, however immigration officials denied a link to the refugee deal with the United States.

A Sri Lankan asylum seeker was ordered for deportation from Australia on 22 February by the Australian Border Force. The Tamil asylum seeker has reportedly refused to sign the order. The United Nations Committee Against Torture requested in October 2017 that Australia not move the asylum seeker while it investigates whether he will be tortured if he is returned against his will.

While Japan received 19,628 applications for refugee status, only 20 asylum seekers were accepted last year. Figures released this week showed that the number of applicants in 2017 rose by 80% from a year earlier, when 28 out of almost 11,000 requests were recognised.

Weekly media wrap - 13 February 2018

Twenty-two refugees left Nauru for resettlement in the United States, under a bilateral agreement between the US and Australia. The group, who were almost all single men from Afghanistan, Iran and Myanmar, are the fourth transfer from Australian-led offshore centres under the deal. Around 110 refugees have been transferred under the agreement, with around 2000 asylum seekers and refugees still in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

In 2016-17, 24,162 refugees and humanitarian entrants arrived in Australia, the biggest year on record. This number includes Australia’s annual humanitarian program, and a special intake of refugees from Iraq and Syria.

UNHCR released the ‘zero draft’ of the global compact on refugees, a non-binding agreement to better deal with refugee crises. Formal talks on the compact begin this month in Geneva.

Weekly media wrap - 3 February 2018

Secret government documents obtained by the ABC – the ‘Cabinet Files’ – revealed that in 2013 then immigration minister Scott Morrison tried to prevent asylum seekers from being granted permanent protection visas by directing ASIO to delay their security checks. It is not known if ASIO complied with the request. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull defended Morrison’s actions, arguing Morrison had ‘stopped the boats’ during his tenure. Refugee advocates accused Morrison of having no regard for the law, and said his actions had torn families apart.

Reports from Bangladesh suggested the annual cyclone and monsoon season could threaten the lives of more than 800,000 Rohingya asylum seekers in camps along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Meanwhile, protesters in towns near the refugee camps, while sympathetic to the plight of the Rohingya, demanded that the Bangladesh Government arrange for them to be safely sent back to Myanmar.

Weekly media wrap - 28 January 2018

Fifty-eight refugees on Manus Island flew to the USA after being accepted for resettlement. Another group of 130 refugees on Nauru are expected to follow in coming days or weeks. This group of nearly 200 refugees form the second cohort to gain resettlement under the US deal. 

An Iranian asylum seeker on Manus Island was force fed in a PNG hospital after nearly two weeks on a hunger strike. According to hospital staff, the 42-year-old was tied to a hospital bed while receiving intravenous treatment. A nurse at the hospital said he could die if not taken to Australia for treatment.

Fifty-five Indonesian minors joined a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission after being jailed as adults in Australia for people-smuggling offenses. The minors who crewed asylum seeker boats want compensation and have signalled potential legal action against the Australian government.

Research conducted by the Norwegian Refugee Council and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre found that 72% of Afghan refugees who return home after living abroad are forced to flee violence internally. The study, which came after a deadly attack on Save the Children’s office in Jalalabad, found that the large majority of internally displaced Afghan families do not receive aid. 

Weekly media wrap - 20 January 2018

The federal government refused a senate request to release documents regarding the construction of the new Australian-built asylum seeker facilities on Manus Island. The senate requested the documents and contracts in December 2017, seeking detail about the health, construction and security services to be provided at the facilities. Immigration minister Peter Dutton claimed that releasing such documents may cause damage to Australia’s international relations with Papua New Guinea.

The security of the Manus Island detention facilities is under threat due to a contract dispute between two security companies. Employees from Paladin Solutions, the Australian-contracted security firm, were blocked from entering the facilities by locally-owned firm Kingfisher Security, who are claiming their right to the lucrative contract. The visa applications of many foreign private security guards employed by Paladin Solutions were rejected by PNG’s Chief Immigration Officer, with claims that the company must employ more local workers.

The full bench of the federal court condemned a decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to reject the asylum appeal of a homosexual Indian man who argued that he would face persecution due to his sexuality if returned to India. The court criticised the Tribunal’s assertion that the asylum seeker in this case was not homosexual.

Tim Costello, chief advocate of World Vision Australia, expressed that ‘Manus is my government’s cruelty’ following a recent visit to Manus Island as part of a delegation of humanitarian experts. Costello described the absence of hope amongst the asylum seekers he met. Meanwhile, Australia’s offshore detention regime was internationally shamed through a recent Human Rights Watch annual world report stating that Australia ‘maintained its cruel practice of warehousing asylum seekers in abysmal conditions’.

The Australian Council for International Development and The Guardian Australia launched ‘Beyond the Wire’, a new site with personal stories of asylum seekers on Manus Island as well as local Manusians. The site provides ‘unvarnished and unscripted’ accounts from the people themselves. New stories will be released each week.