An Impossible Choice for Manus Refugees
Turnbull’s heartless government has offered refugees and people seeking asylum an impossible choice.
Having made the sudden announcement that the Manus Island detention centre will close on October 31, the government has told 800 men still stranded there to chose between:
• Returning to the country they fled, where they risk further persecution;
• Go to Cambodia and take their chances in a country unfit for humanitarian entrants; or
• Face an uncertain, dangerous future in the Papua New Guinea community.
These men, many of whom have been stuck in detention for up to four years already, have been given just weeks to decide.
We cannot allow Turnbull and Dutton to abandon these vulnerable people who are in our care. Now, more than ever, we must demand they be brought to Australia where they can be looked after properly.
It was only a few weeks ago that PNG naval personnel attacked the centre with semi-automatic weapons. Since then, we’ve learnt that the Turnbull government has spent months attempting to coerce these people to return home, despite most being legitimate refugees with a well-founded fear of persecution in their home countries. The government’s actions tick every box under international torture.
The only morally and legally responsible thing to do now is close these camps and bring these innocent people here.
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