Model Letter to PNG Prime Minister Marape

Prime Minister James Marape.                                                                              June    23rd 2019

……………….

Congratulations on your appointment with an overwhelming majority as the eighth Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. This will give you the opportunity to enact your major vision of introducing measures to help your people gain greater benefits from PNG’s natural resources.

Many Australians also hope your appointment will also provide an opportunity to resolve the current unsustainable situation for asylum seekers held in Regional Processing Centres (RPCs) on Manus Island.

You will be aware of the rapidly deteriorating situation at these RPCs, with daily attempts at suicide arising from the perception of no hope for the future. The PNG Catholic Bishops Conference has on many occasions expressed concern regarding conditions in which asylum seekers are held and the need for a long-term solution.

It is a matter of great shame for many Australians that our government states that PNG is legally responsible for the wellbeing of those held in RPCs, in complete disregard for widely held legal opinion from both International Human Rights organisations and the Law Council of Australia that Australia is legally responsible.

With the impending expiry of current contractual arrangements for managing the RPCs it is understandable that PNG would want local organisations to undertake provision of security, accommodation and health services. Manus citizens would then benefit from the significant outlays associated with provision of these services.

This however can only be a short-term solution.  Indefinitely detaining hundreds of men who are not indigenous, in a remote location with no hope of change to their circumstances will inevitably lead to more attempted suicides, more deaths, more violence and ongoing negative International attention.

There is a better alternative.  Please take the initiative as a new Prime Minister and insist that Australia meets its International obligations, setting a definite timeline for closure of the Manus RPCs, and relocation of those held there, in compliance with the obligations Australia has signed up to under International Human Right Conventions.

In doing this you will:

·       assert sovereignty as an independent nation within the Pacific Region.

·       provide an end to the agony of those held indefinitely in RPCs on Manus for

Australia’s purely political purposes. 

·       demonstrate PNG’s commitment to Human Rights and to meeting the spirit of your own High Court’s ruling with respect to detention of people under your Constitution, as those currently held under curfew and restricted in travel essentially are detained.

 Again, congratulations on your new role as Prime Minister of PNG, I sincerely hope that you can in your first term take action on this matter to resolve a situation which is both embarrassing and unnecessary to both of our nations.

Yours Sincerely