Australia to stop sending asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea after widespread criticism
The Australian government on Wednesday announced it would stop sending asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea (PNG), one of the controversial detention centres.
After facing repeated criticism from national as well as international platforms, the Australian government on Wednesday announced that it will stop sending asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea (PNG), one of the controversial detention centres situated in the world's second-largest island.
Notably, the United Nations criticised the Australian government to run two remote Pacific detention centres. Before the announcement on October 6, the Australian government used to detain the asylum seekers trying to reach Australia by boat at the South Pacific island nation of Nauru and PNG's Manus Island.
According to the new timeline announced by Canberra, the processing in PNG will permanently end on December 31 this year. "The Australian government regional processing contracts in PNG will stop on 31 December 2021 and will not be renewed," a joint statement read.
It is worth mentioning that the Australian government had arranged the system back in 2013 under the Labour government then. They authorised regional processing in PNG. According to a report by SBS News which cited the data revealed by the Australian government, there were 124 asylum seekers in PNG as of July this year.
According to the joint statement, from January 2022, PNG will take care of those who remain in the prison, which means any shelter seekers still in PNG will be granted a pathway to permanent migration, including citizenship. Further, the statement said Papua New Guinea would also offer assistance to those momentarily in the country expecting transfer to a third country.
More than 1,200 people died in an attempt to reach Australia by boats: Report
"This government's strong border security policies - including a responsibility to regional processing - have not changed," SBS media quoted Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews as saying. "Anyone who attempts to enter Australia illegally by ship will be returned, or sent to Nauru."
Notably, the Australian government signed a new agreement with Nauru earlier in September this year. Citing the government, SBS media said that there are 107 detainees in Nauru.
"Between 2008 and 2013, more than 50,000 people arrived in Australia on more than 820 boats and at least 1,200 died at sea," SBS News quoted the government officials as saying.
Image: AP/Pixabay
Published By : Ajeet Kumar
Published On: 6 October 2021 at 19:15 IST