Few refugees accept cash to go home

Advocate claims inducement increased to $20,000

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The Australian Federal Government has doubled its financial offer to convince asylum seekers on Manus Island to return home, Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said.

Rintoul said the offer was increased from $10,000 to $20,000 after Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court ruled the detention of asylum seekers was illegal in April.

“It’s a huge amount of money to try to coerce people to return home,” he said. “There’s no one who has taken up the offer so far.

“But there certainly are some people, not because of the $20,000, but because of the long delays and the frustration now with the court decision, who are considering it.”

The government said some support was available to asylum seekers, but did not specify the amount.

“Limited support is available to assist people to return to their home country including travel arrangements and reintegration which includes some financial support,” a Department of Immigration and Border Protection spokesperson said.

“The level of assistance provided is based on individual circumstances.

“Transferees in Regional Processing Centres have voluntarily returned to their countries of origin.”

Rintoul said the offered to return home was previously set at $10,000, after Iranian asylum seeker Reza Berati was killed during a riot inside the Manus Island detention centre.

He said “very few people” have accepted money to return to their home countries.

“It’s a clear indication that the vast majority of people who are on Manus Island are genuine refugees with genuine fears about persecution in their home country,” he said. “They have suffered appalling human rights breaches for almost three years on Manus Island.

“The government is offering large amounts of as an inducement for them to return home and they can’t get people to accept it. It’s one of the clearest indications that people are motivated by genuine fears.”

Rintoul said detainees on Manus Island “must be resettled in Australia”. - ABC