The agreement has prompted a wave of protest. Livio Zilli is a refugee lawyer from Amnesty International.
“They will be apparently detained indefinitely, we don’t know how long that whole process will last. So we are very concerned for the individuals. Secondly we are concerned because effectively Australia is cherry-picking its international obligations.”
The governor of Oro Province in Papua New Guinea, Gary Juffa, questioned what his country is getting from the deal.
“By accepting this are we really doing as we are told by the Australian government or are we doing this because we feel that we’re assisting Australia? If so, what is the cost, what is the price, what is the benefit?”
Australia will fund a major expansion of the Manus detention center on Papua New Guinea. A recent U.N. report found major shortcomings at the site.
Livio Zilli of Amnesty says Australia must change course.
“Everyone who arrives, no matter how they arrive to Australia or on Australian shores should be given effective access to refugee status procedures in the Australian mainland.”
Australia says more than 15,000 asylum seekers have arrived by boat on Australian territory this year. Since 2001, around 1,000 people have died making the crossing.
The Australian government has produced online videos in several languages -- including Farsi and Vietnamese among others -- warning migrants that they will not be settled in Australia if they arrive by boat.
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2013-11-25
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