Refugees who refuse to move from detention to a transit facility in East Lorengau on Manus Island are being threatened with restricted access to medical services, allowances and phone and internet access by the Papua New Guinean government.
Last week refugees on the island began receiving letters from the Papua New Guinea immigration and citizenship authority outlining restrictions on their services.
The Australian government bankrolled a new transit centre in East Lorengau to house refugees once they left the Manus detention centre. But a large number of refugees have refused to leave the detention centre because they fear for their safety once they leave.
The latest figures from Manus Island show there have now been 506 refugee status determinations issued there, with 289 positive. Of these positive assessments, just 20 have been given a “positive final determination” and have agreed to move to the East Lorengau facility.
The letter was distributed to some refugees who have refused to leave after receiving positive refugee assessments.
“Access to internet and phone will be reduced from three sessions per week to one session per week,” the letter said. “Access to the medical clinic will be allocated to one day per week.”
It also said the refugees would no longer receive “IAP” points at the start of each week. This allowance allows them to buy basic amenities at the detention centre.
The restrictions are scheduled to apply two weeks from the date the letter was distributed.
The letter said the refugee had refused to sign the visa that would facilitate his move to the new centre, and had been scheduled to attend a meeting with PNG immigration officials. A number of refugees refused to attend these meetings, which sparked the restrictions.
The letter said that if the refugees wished to sign their visas, they were “free to make an appointment at any time”.
A spokeswoman from the immigration department said: “Refugees are able to access medical care when they need it, regardless of where they reside. This may include access through local health services.”
“The Government of Papua New Guinea is responsible for the refugee determination process in PNG and for the management of those determined to be refugees as well as for the operations and arrangements at the Manus Regional Processing Centre.”
She added that pending the move to the transit centre, refugees at the detention facility “have access to services and amenities that are broadly comparable to those available to refugees at the Transit Centre”.
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