Refugees continue protest against the withdrawal of power, water and medical services, part of a broader campaign to force them to relocate

Refugees held on Manus Island have continued their protest against the power, water and medical services being withdrawn from the detention centre, part of a broader campaign to forcibly relocate them to a new camp in Lorengau they say is unsafe.

The protests have run daily at 2pm for most of this week, and are being met with an increased security presence around the centre, and the lockdown of some compounds.

Water and power has been cut off to parts of the detention centre.

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There have been rising tensions between the refugees and Manusians in recent months, and a spate of attacks, including with machetes, on refugees in the Lorengau township.

Iranian journalist and refugee Behrouz Boochani said increasing pressure was being brought to bear on refugees.

Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) Most refugees in #Manus not sleeping well these days, & need sleeping tablets. Living in PNG is like a nightmare, too much pressure on them.

Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) If Australia takes refugees by force to PNG community I can guarantee will be a big tragedy. These people extremely scared to live in PNG.

Boochani said about 20 refugees had fallen ill and were quarantined in the detention centre’s medical centre, which was operating at reduced capacity. He said it was probably because the camp had gone for days without running water for drinking and bathing.



Boochani expected the protests to be forcibly ended.

“Reliable source says local police and special forces will attack detention centre in coming days. If so, there’ll be a big tragedy.

“The protest at this moment is focused on ‘power and water’ because immigration cut power and water in the largest compound in Manus. I think in any culture in the world it’s so immoral to cut the power and water on innocent people who have committed no crime. We want to let every person in Australia know that your government is doing this immoral act to us.”

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He said the refugees did not necessarily want to go to Australia, only to a country where they would be safe.

Previous demonstrations inside the detention centre have been allowed to run for several days before security guards, Australian Border Force officials and PNG police have stormed the compounds.

A mass hunger strike in January 2015 ended when dozens of police raided the compound, arresting and jailing those who were taking part.

Tensions on the island have risen after details of the phone call between the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the US president, Donald Trump, after the “US deal”, for months posited as the solution to Australia’s offshore islands of Manus and Nauru, revealed the refugee swap appeared unlikely to happen.

Under the detal, 1250 refugees from the Australian-controlled regional processing centres on Manus and Nauru were supposed to be exchanged for central American refugees from American-run camps in Costa Rica.

But Turnbull told Trump he didn’t have to accept any refugees from Australia’s control.

In a transcript of the phone call leaked on Friday, Turnbull pleaded with Trump to publicly commit to honouring the refugee swap deal, even if he didn’t intend to resettle anybody.

“It does not require you to take any ... the obligation is to only go through the process.”

Turnbull is also heard calling the refugees “economic refugees” – a categorisation that does not exist. Economic hardship is not a criterion for refugee status and all those being proposed for resettlement have been found to be refugees – that is, they have a “well-founded fear of persecution in their home countries”. They are legally owed protection by Australia.

The details of the phone call have exposed the US deal as fraudulent, Boochani said.

“If people, media and politicians read the conversation between the Australian prime minister and American president, they can see that the US deal is a fake deal and its only purpose is to put the refugees through a long process to waste time.”

Another refugee, Imran Mohammad, told the Human Rights Law Centre, he despaired for his future after four years on Manus Island.

“I just cried as I was reading the transcripts of the most two powerful leaders in this world. Their words made me feel like I am just a product to them and I can be traded for anything.

“I am just a human being and there is no need to play with my life.”