Australia and Papua New Guinea have agreed to develop a timetable to close immigration detention facilities on Manus Island housing about 350 refugees and asylum seekers.
PNG Prime Minister James Marape used his visit to Australia to demand his Australian counterpart commit to a closure date, following a meeting with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison on Monday.
t a joint press conference in Canberra, Mr Marape indicated some progress had already been made.
“It’s a work in progress but both governments have agreed to establish a schedule going forward and for us to find some closure on the Manus asylum seekers,” Mr Marape told reporters.
While the Australian government has ruled out taking up an offer from New Zealand to resettle up to 150 refugees from Manus or Nauru, PNG has left the door open to striking a deal directly with NZ PM Jacinda Ardern.
“Common decency will apply to those human beings that are with us in Port Moresby and Manus right now," Mr Marape said.
Mr Morrison said 260 people have already been transferred to the United States and he encouraged those that have had their asylum applications rejected to return to their home country.
For more details, please listen to the full report in Pashto.
