24 October 2015•Update: 27 October 2015
MELBOURNE
The government of Australia, under pressure to alleviate the plight of asylum seekers and refugees in offshore detention, has said that neighboring Papua New Guinea is to begin resettling refugees being held in camps on its shores.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported Immigration Minister Peter Dutton as saying that the PNG government had announced it would soon begin the resettlement of those at Manus Island Regional Processing Centre following approval by its National Executive Committee for National Refugee Policy.
"This is delivering on the intentions of the RRA [regional resettlement arrangement], consistent with the spirit of partnership that exists between our two countries," Dutton said.
"No-one will be resettled in Australia," he underlined.
He added that the announcement showed PNG was committed to allowing refugees to "get on with their lives and have a fresh start in this dynamic nation with a growing economy".
According to the Herald, as of August there were 936 asylum seekers and refugees being kept at Manus.
Manus was one of two Offshore Processing Centers operated on behalf of the Australian government for those apprehended attempting to get to Australian shores.
The other is Nauru detention center.
Australia's hardline policy denies resettlement to all asylum seekers arriving by sea, even when they are found to be genuine refugees.
It outsources the processing of people attempting to get to the country by boat to offshore detention centers on Nauru and Manus Island.
The Papua New Guinea minister of foreign affairs and immigration has said that the resettlement policy had taken time to develop.
“It is crucial that we get this right,” Rimbink Pato said in a statement this week.
“Settlement of refugees is not easy, and we have to ensure refugees are not competing for employment and income-earning opportunities with our citizens.”
