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11 May 2020
Hello to all RAR Members and Supporters – Welcome to this RAR Update.
I understand many members have a great interest in the
situation of refugees detained offshore. We start with an edited version
of an April 30 report from Port Moresby by Jason Siwat from Caritas
PNG.
Ex-Manus Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Port Moresby
227 persons remain in PNG from the closed Manus Regional
Processing Centre. The Government of PNG has given 160 refugee status by
while 67 are non-refugees. These 227 men are at different stages on
different settlement pathways. Some are being assisted by international
agencies, others by Australian groups such as AdsUp Australia (working
on Canadian settlement) and the Independent Doctors Network (seeking
heath care in Australia).
The Australian government contracts service providers for
general support to the men, but the specific and specialist needs of
individuals remain. Most live in Port Moresby, housed in several hotels
and apartments: one is in Bomana prison. Three are still in Manus.
COVID19 AND STATE OF EMERGENCY (SOE)
The coronavirus situation and the government-declared state
of emergency (SOE) hugely impacted on the wellbeing of the men and the
families four have, particularly for the sick and vulnerable. They have
heightened stress and anxiety, especially because most processes became
slower and made less progress. This is compounded by the movement
restrictions, and the news from home. Nonetheless we continued to reach
them as best as we could both in person and by phone.
We supplied hand sanitizers to the city accommodation, and
to Bomana prison where one refugee is kept. We have also disseminated
information on COVID19 prevention via WhatsApp. We have ordered 240
pieces of reusable masks, which will be distributed from next week.
Though the men’s movements have been restricted, many still
access health attention at the Pacific International Hospital, the
contracted medical provider. The movement restriction has been lifted
temporarily and things are slowly returning to normal.
There was only one reported incident during the SOE period.
One man, who is known to have serious mental illness, attempted to
attack security guards when they prevented him from leaving the hotel he
is staying in.
REFUGEE FAMILIES
We support the families of four refugees by providing
monthly food vouchers to supplement the allowance they receive from the
Australian government. Despite the coronavirus affecting our funding for
this, we will try to continue it. Two of the refugee fathers have been
accepted for US resettlement, the other two not. We continue to
encourage them to take the opportunity to go to the States and settle
down and later bring their family members to reunite. We assisted one of
the two fathers rejected by the US with startup capital when he started
a small business, in partnership with a local businessman, which is now
venturing into masks production.
ADVOCACY
We maintain our advocacy for the men with domestic and
international stakeholders. We have written letters to PNG Immigration
and the PNG Prime Minister urging regional solutions be explored. We
have voiced concerns on several pertinent issues in the media and in
other fora. We press the local service providers to ensure adequate
support is available.
We engage with the UNHCR, IOM and Independent Doctors
Network, among others, plus a good number of individuals in Australia
who are working together for these men. Our sharing of information and
delivering information to the men has helped on many fronts: we are the
only independent source on the ground who work to promote their dignity
and wellbeing.
THIRD COUNTRY RESETTLEMENT
We have been supporting refugees applying for third country
resettlement by liaising with UNHCR Canberra office, AdsUp Australia,
IOM, PNG Immigration, Independent Doctors Network and several
individuals working on this project. Mainly we collect and pass on
information from the refugees and message information and updates from
UNHCR and others to the refugees and asylum seekers. As needed, we
assist in soliciting documents, photos, signatures and contact details
from the refugees for AdsUp Australia, which completes Canada refugee
applications on their behalf. For people with serious illnesses, we
assist in retrieving medical files and sending them to Australia,
previously for Medevac and now to the Independent Doctors Network.
REFUGEES IN COURT BATTLE
Four refugees are in different stages of legal proceedings:
two are convicted prisoners, and two are in court processes. Of them,
three are in Manus Island, separated from the rest of their friends who
are in Port Moresby, while one is being held at the Bomana prison. We
barely know about the situations of those in Manus, except for
occasional phone calls we have with them, or communications from second
party sources. One of them has a chronic kidney issue, while the other
two are suffering from severe stress and anxiety, with deteriorating
ability to care for their wellbeing. We supplied toiletries to the
refugee in Bomana prison.
We have also supported a migrant from Bangladesh whose case
is now ongoing at the Supreme Court of PNG. We housed him for two weeks
after he was temporarily released following a favourable National Court
decision on 16th April 2020.
SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUES
We know nine men suffer from serious medical and mental
illnesses. Some of their conditions are chronic, compounded by the
prolonged detention and various stressful experiences that they have
gone through. We informed the UNHCR and the Independent Doctors Network
about the nine: we are trying to have some or all of them transferred to
Australia to receive proper health care.
At least three of these men are in a serious state of mental
instability. One was supposed to fly to the US, but was refused because
of his mental condition. We tried to have one transferred to Australia
on medical grounds, but made little progress despite his medical files
being sent to Australia. He is suffering from serious mental health
conditions along with issues in his upper body. He is at risk of
self-harm.
Generally, most of these men suffer from varying levels of
stress, anxiety and other lifestyle diseases that require specialist
medical attention outside of PNG. Our one-on-one visits to some of them
help them go through this very difficult time of their lives.
CONCLUSION
Through seven long years, the plight of the ex-Manus
refugees and non-refugees has seen little to no improvements. 320 of
them have left for the US and a few to other countries, a handful have
found jobs in Port Moresby, and one has settled into village life on
Manus Island. But many of those who are left in PNG continue to suffer
from ongoing detention and serious health problems, particularly the
non-refugees. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and
Solomon Islands, through Caritas PNG, has been providing much needed
hope and care to those devastated by this Australian offshore policy. We
will continue to act with faith for justice and dignity so that they
too can one day enjoy the fullness of life that every human person
deserves.
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