168 asylum seekers to be deported – PNG starts arrangements to send non-refugees home

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The Papua New Guinea government is finalising arrangements to deport 168 asylum seekers from the Australian run camp on Manus Island back to their home countries.

Most of those to be deported are from Iran, but there are also people from Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Vietnam, Bangladesh and India.

The acting chief migration officer Solomon Kantha told the Post Courier newspaper that this is a step towards closing the Manus Island camp, where there are still 168 people without refugee status who, he said, must leave.

There are 600 refugees and about 168 non-refugees on Manus Island. Refugees are those that have been processed and issued PNG certificate of identity and non-refugees are those that have not been processed due to no proper documentations, some deemed high risk.

Kantha said that in accordance with the National Refugee Policy, PNG continues to offer settlement in the country to those who have been found to be refugees.

“Those who are found not to be refugees have no lawful basis to remain in the country and must depart. They are encouraged to take up offers of Assisted Voluntary Return,” he said.

“Where non-refugees do not elect to depart voluntarily, the PNG Immigration and Citizenship Service Authority (ICSA) will remove them in accordance with our laws.

“PNG has worked hard with the government of Australia to receive asylum-seekers intercepted at sea, and to process their claims in accordance with international law,” Kantha said.

This process was nearly complete, and PNG could look to resettle those who had been determined to be refugees either in PNG or in third countries willing to accept them such as the United States,” he said.

Kantha, who was in Manus last week to assess the situation, said that a United States settlement team will be arriving on Manus on February 14 to start screening refugees for resettlement in the US under a deal signed between Australia and the former Barack Obama administration last year.

“Those who are found not to be refugees have no lawful basis to remain in the country, and must depart.

“They will not be resettled in PNG. Voluntary departure is encouraged and supported.”

He said the asylum seekers involved are encouraged to take up offers under the Assisted Voluntary Return programme.

“Non-refugees who do not elect to depart voluntarily will have their departure enforced, consistent with PNG domestic legislation and our international obligations”, he said.

“ICSA is actively seeking travel documents for these non-refugees, and is in the advanced stages of planning the removal of this group, which currently numbers 168 persons.

“Travel document applications have been lodged with respect of 60 persons, and as a result it is expected the first removals will commence in a few weeks, with these continuing on a regular basis as travel documents are issued,” he said.