Five front case for all refugees

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The Supreme Court was given the names of the five refugees who are refusing to be resettled in PNG as part of a test case involving all refugees.

Their lawyer, Ben Lomai, explained that those selected for the test case are those who can speak fluent English and express themselves openly.

The test case is part of an inquiry into the status of the orders issued by the Supreme Court on April 26.

This was when the five-man Supreme Court bench found the Regional Processing Centre on Manus Island unconstitutional and illegal, ordering a cease of operation there.

After three years in detention, 1010 transferees, now called residents, remain on Manus as of April 26.

As of Friday, July 15, 636 have been given refugee status, 128 have been screened and identified as non-refugees while 203 are asylum seekers still being processed. 43 transferees are still in Australia for medical reasons. 13 of those are refugees while 30 are asylum seekers.

The Chief Justice said the orders of the five-man Supreme Court bench are to be enforced and the current inquiry is simply a way forward in dealing with the orders issued. - PNC