Seven West Papuan asylum seekers deported by Australia to Papua New Guinea have been given until tomorrow to make an asylum application to PNG.
The seven arrived in the Torres Strait late last month claiming to be fleeing persecution by the Indonesian security forces and were transferred to Port Moresby. PNG immigration authorities have given them the choice of applying for refugee status there or of being assisted in returning to Indonesia. Unless the application is made by Thursday, the West Papuans risk being treated as illegal migrants. But one of the group, Yacob Mandabayan maintains they only seek asylum in Australia and that Australia and PNG are obliged under international law to recognise this. “We say that it’s okay if you want to put us in jail. It’s okay because if you put us in jail, it means that the government of PNG broke the law... because we are not coming to PNG asking for refuge in PNG.”Yacob Mandabayan Comments are closed.
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