• Journalist and refugee Behrouz Boochani arrested as squad steps in • Refugees report they have been told to hand over phones and go within hours

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Papua New Guinea police have removed dozens of asylum seekers from the Manus Island detention centre and put pressure on hundreds of others to leave, more than three weeks after the camp was decommissioned.

Refugees inside the centre reported large numbers of officers, including the paramilitary police mobile squad, entered the centre on Thursday and gave them an hour to move to alternative accommodation in the nearby town of Lorengau. The officers shouted at detainees and demanded they hand over their phones.

Water, power and food supplies ended when the Manus camp was officially closed on 31 October, based on the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court’s ruling last year that Australia’s policy of housing asylum seekers there was unconstitutional.

Refugees described police as intimidating and aggressive as they dismantled structures and threw away refugees’ belongings. One officer was seen carrying a large bush knife, which are common on Manus.



Amnesty International cited reports of immigration officials entering them camp armed with sticks and knives.

“The risks of serious injury if the authorities use force now is completely foreseeable,” researcher Kate Schuetze said in a statement.

Refugee and journalist Behrouz Boochani arrested in Manus as squad steps in Read more

A video livestreamed from inside the facility showed men chanting “human rights help us, they want to kill us”, and two men apparently unconscious. Walid Zazai, filming the scene, said it was a medical emergency but there was no assistance. “We don’t know if he had a heart attack because he had previously problems,” Zazai said of one.

The second unconscious man had epilepsy, he said.

Abdul Aziz Adam (@Aziz58825713) We need urgent help any Dr of nurses we have one refugee in very bad conditions pic.twitter.com/voXXtSQUYI

Iranian journalist and refugee Behrouz Boochani was arrested as police and immigration officials swept through the camp, destroying furniture, property and food.

Footage shows Boochani being led away, held by two uniformed policemen, and surrounded by several others. He does not physically resist.

Other refugees said police were specifically looking for him.

Boochani has been the most outspoken advocate for the refugees held on Manus Island, filing reports regularly for the Guardian and other news outlets and giving interviews with media across the world.

Abdul Aziz Adam (@Aziz58825713) They are looking for me and Behrouz they found him but they are not going to find me. These are police are taking Behrouz. pic.twitter.com/G01bA46ETC

Police Commissioner Gari Baki said 50 police and immigration officials entered the Manus Island camp on Thursday morning and “peacefully relocated” 50 asylum seekers among the 378 men to Lorengau. Baki said in a statement all had “left voluntarily,” except for Boochan, who he said was neither arrested nor charged.

Australia’s immigration minister, Peter Dutton, confirmed a “police operation” on Thursday morning but accused detainees of trashing it the old centre.



“I think it’s outrageous that people are still there,” he told 2GB radio. “They’ve trashed the facility, they’re living in squalor.”

“The Australian taxpayers have paid about $10m for a new facility and we want people to move.”

He likened the situation to building a new house for tenants who refuse to move in.

Dutton’s repeated claims that the alternative accommodation units are ready and suitable for detainees have been consistently debunked by observers and published videos and photos of blocked toilets, bathrooms without water, and buildings still under construction. Detainees have repeatedly claimed they are not safe in the new housing in Lorengau, citing frequent violent attacks and a lack of security.

Australia’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, repeated the messages of his immigration minister, and said the refugees should leave the centre and go to the alternative accommodation where “several hundred” had already moved.

Twelve former Australians of the Year condemn government and urge action on Manus Read more

“They should obey the law and the lawful authorities of Papua New Guinea,” said Turnbull. “There are alternative facilities that have been made available with food, water, security, and medical services.”

Turnbull also said those inside the centre were hoping to force the Australian government into bringing them all to Australia. “We will not be pressured,” he said. “Our border security, the integrity of our borders is maintained by my government and we will not outsource our migration policy to people smugglers.”

Some refugees have taken shelter on roofs inside the decommissioned detention centre. Some had been sleeping on top of shipping containers, in expectation the police would move in.



Walid Zazai (@ZazaiWalid) They destroying all our property.

They are so angry, and telling us leave our land

First they said move to town,now more angry and telling us leave our land otherwise we will kill u.

Police commissioner Yapu said: It's an Order from Australian and PNG governments to move u out pic.twitter.com/uyA7p4wcsI

Abdul Aziz Adam (@Aziz58825713) The police and immigrations are destroying Australian property pic.twitter.com/QZVuccYjRw

Abdul Aziz Adam (@Aziz58825713) This photo will show how peaceful we are and how we respond to the immigration and police to the violence and aggressive behavior pic.twitter.com/9lnUQ3yXyO

Before his arrest, Boochani reported from inside the centre that immigration and police started searching rooms and telling people: “Move, move,” and, “You only have an hour to move.”

Boochani said some refugees were building barriers to halt police progress, others were hiding.

Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) They are taking the phones and are very aggresive and are taking out some refugees who still remain in the rooms. Something terrible is happening right now, they are taking the refugees out of the rooms.

He added: “They are destroying everything. Shelters, tanks, beds and all of our belongings. They are very aggressive and put our belongings in the rubbish bins. The refugees still are silent are watching them so scared.

“The refugees are sitting peacefully and immigration and police are asking them to leave the prison camp. The refugees are only listening and completely silent. They are talking on the microphone and shouting ‘move, move’.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The belongings of the refugees and asylum seekers in the Manus Island detention centre are messed up by PNG police. Photograph: Anonymous

Video from the Sudanese refugee Abdul Aziz Adam showed immigration officials in yellow shirts surrounded by uniformed police. It showed one PNG police officer issuing instructions over a megaphone to men barricaded inside. “This place where you are living right now is no longer legal centre for the refugees and non-refugees reside,” the officer says. “This place will be handed back to the PNG defence force.

“It is their military base, and your staying here … would be seen as illegal and unlawful.

PNG police had originally planned to launch its “Operation Helpim Friends” on Wednesday, but it was cancelled pending a court appeal, now adjourned to 15 December. The police commissioner, Baki, described the operation as “politely” asking the detainees to leave, and said no force would be used.

An Australian federal police spokesman denied earlier reports its officers were involved.

Lynne Murphy (@lynnemurphy1) EMERGENCY #Manus #ManusSOS

Police navy immigration pushing us to move

'They were so aggressive with us when they come pushing, running behind us they pushed me on the ground wanted my phone i get up and ran

@ManusAlert pic.twitter.com/95c6rVdiHt

The Australian director of Human Rights Watch, Elaine Pearson, said Australia’s reputation was on the line. “Australia is standing idly by as PNG security forces are trashing the compound, confiscating phones, and aggressively telling refugees and asylum seekers they must leave,” she said.