Australia's refugees: What was the standoff about?

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A three week standoff at an Australian refugee camp in Papua New Guinea (PNG) ended Friday with police reportedly using violence to clear migrants who had refused to leave the facility despite water, electricity and food supplies being cut off.

"Between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. (2300-0000 GMT) this morning, they had all been moved," PNG police spokesman Chief Superintendent Dominic Kakas told AFP, adding the camp was now "empty."

The blockade made headlines around the world and prompted concerns from human rights groups. But why was the camp cleared? Why are the refugees in Papua New Guinea? And what will become of them now? Here’s a quick overview.

Workers dismantle structures in Lombrum detention camp on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, November 13, 2017. /Behrouz Bouchani/Social Media/via Reuters

What happened?

The refugee camp – operated by Canberra but located on Manus Island, part of Papua New Guinea and about 1,000 kilometers from Australian territory – was closed on October 31.

Some 600 men detained there were to be moved to transition centers elsewhere on Manus Island but run by PNG. Only about 200 left voluntarily however, while those remaining barricaded themselves, saying they feared for their safety if they were moved. Staff abandoned the camp and power, water and food supplies were cut off.

On November 10, police and immigration officials started tearing down makeshift shelters and water stores the refugees had set up at the camp, in a renewed bid to make them leave. The UN meanwhile warned of an "unfolding humanitarian emergency" as conditions at the camp worsened.

On Thursday, police raided the facility in what appeared to be a final push to clear the migrants.

The camp was declared officially cleared on Friday.

Why was the camp shut?

Human rights advocates long complained about the Manus camp, amid reports of abuse and lack of treatment for mental health issues that led to the death of at least one detainee earlier this year.

Papua New Guinea operated alternative accommodation and services provided to refugees following the closure of the Manus Island immigration detention center. /Reuters Photo

Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court ruled last year that detaining refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island was illegal and Australia agreed to shut the camp in October.

Why are the refugees in Papua New Guinea?

This is part of Australia’s off-shore refugee policy, and has attracted condemnation from human rights groups.

Refugees and asylum seekers arriving by boat are not allowed into Australia but are sent instead to detention centers in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, another small Pacific nation, to await deportation or resettlement.

Canberra says this is to discourage more people from embarking on the treacherous sea voyage.

But many of the men at the Manus camp – mostly from Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Syria – have been on the island since 2013, stuck in administrative limbo.

Asylum seekers protest on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, in this picture taken from social media November 6, 2017. /Social Media/Handout via Reuters

Currently, about 1,200 refugees are being kept in Nauru and 900 in Papua New Guinea, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Who is Behrouz Boochani?

Many of the recent reports on the situation at the Manus camp have come from an Iranian journalist and refugee being held there: Behrouz Boochani.

He has posted regular updates, videos and pictures on social media, documenting the lack of food and water, and decrying the conditions not just at Manus but also the new transitions centers. Earlier this month, he received an Amnesty International Australia media award for his reporting.

Boochani also live-tweeted through Thursday’s raid: "They are taking the phones and are very aggressive… Something terrible is happening right now." He later added he had been detained and handcuffed for over two hours. "The police commander yelled at me ‘you are reporting against us.’ They pushed me several times and broke my belongings."

What’s been said?

The UN spokesman for human rights Rupert Colville has described Australia’s offshore processing centers as "unsustainable, inhumane and contradictory to its human rights obligations."

Refugee advocates hold placards and banners during a protest rally in central Melbourne, Australia, November 4, 2017. /Reuters Photo

On Thursday, the UNHCR added it was "troubled" by reports that refugees were being removed by force, and said Australia had an "obligation to… provide effective protection, safety and lasting solutions for all refugees and asylum-seekers."

Australia’s Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has insisted however: "These people sought to subvert Australia's laws by paying people smugglers to bring them illegally to Australia by boat – none will ever resettle here."

What now?

The refugees from the Manus camp have been brought to three transition centers elsewhere on the island. Their options are to settle in Papua New Guinea, return to their country of origin or settle in a third country. A few dozen have been accepted by the US, but Australia turned down an offer this month by New Zealand to take in some of the refugees.

Asylum seekers occupying the closed Australian-run immigration detention center on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island climb on top of buildings at the center to avoid police, November 23, 2017. /Thanus, via Reuters

Migrants and rights advocates say their lives are at risk if they remain in Papua New Guinea. There have been reported attacks by locals. Refugees have also complained that the transition centers are not yet ready to accommodate people, with water and power shortages and little security.

"These men are scared, they are exhausted and they are despairing," Amy Frew, a lawyer at the Australia-based Human Rights Law Centre, told AFP. "After four and a half years of limbo and uncertainty they still have nowhere safe to go."

(With input from agencies)

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