Four asylum seekers detained on Manus Island have sewn their lips together in protest at being held on the island for more than a year, while brawls and protests have broken out in a number of places.
Unrest has seized both the Delta and Oscar compounds over the last 72 hours.
The four men – two Iranian, one Iraqi and one Lebanese – who have sewn their lips together in Oscar compound, have been joined in their protest by about half of the compound who are refusing all food as part of a mass hunger strike, workers on Manus Island told Guardian Australia.
At least one protester has been forcibly removed to “Chauka”, the secret solitary confinement unit for “misbehaving” asylum seekers, while up to five of the hunger strikers have been removed for medical treatment for dehydration.
In a letter obtained by Guardian Australia (pdf), protesters say they suffer under “catastrophic conditions” and “have been caught in the [sic] hell”.
“The desperate situation is much worse than you imagine.”
The men complain that in the tropical heat of PNG, they are crammed more than 50 men to a room in stifling conditions, that toilets are filthy and food “horrible”.
“But to make matters worse, the behaviour of most of those working here, especially officers, is terribly appalling. They act as if we are slaves.”
One man has a seriously infected ear that is bleeding. He says he can’t hear or talk and is in constant pain. He says he fears he will die from the infection.
Already one man held on Manus, Hamid Kehazaei, has died this year from an infection. His cut foot turned septic and he died in September.
Reza Berati, the other detainee to die this year, was beaten to death in a riot in February.
Sources from the island say there is a sense of desperation among the more than 1,000 men in detention. Some have been there 17 months and do not know the status of their refugee claim.
Only 10 have been given refugee status and told they will be allowed to resettle on PNG.
Others have recently been told they will be deported to their home country while most are still waiting to learn their future from PNG immigration officials.
The Senate was due to receive a parliamentary inquiry report into violence on Manus on Wednesday, but the tabling of the report has been delayed.
Immigration minister Scott Morrison has not yet responded to questions from Guardian Australia.
