PNG's Manus MP says he has no faith that a US commitment to resettle refugees processed offshore by Australia will greatly reduce the number of men stuck on his island.
The majority of the over 800 men held on Manus, who Canberra has excluded from ever settling in Australia, have been found to be refugees.
However Papua New Guinea and Australia are struggling to find resettlement options ahead of their planned closure of the Manus centre by the end of October.
An Australian government agreement with the US to resettle refugees detained offshore, could see a number of Manus refugees heading to America.
The US vice-president Mike Pence visited Australia last weekend and made the commitment to the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, despite reservations held by president Donald Trump.
But Manus MP Ronny Knight places little stock in the deal.
"I have no faith in the US deal. It could be fifty people going, it could be a hundred people going," he mused. "I've become like Thomas the doubter. Unless I see it, I don't believe it.
"The way the PNG government has vetted these people has not been disclosed. America has the highest standard of criteria for vetting refugees, and if they don't meet that criteria obviously they won't be going to America."
American officials have been to Manus in March and April yet only around 300 of the refugees were understood to have been fingerprinted for further vetting.
PNG's Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato said he was not sure how many would make the cut in the US deal, but indicated hope that a majority might be taken.
Meanwhile Ronny Knight also said he had heard rumours from reliable sources about Australia and PNG's governments talking to the US about use of Manus as an American military base.
He had little idea about the discussions, but had a message to the governments.
"Don't even think about trying to do a deal like this without including us in any negotiations. We have enough problems with 800 asylum seekers on the island. Imagine the problems with half a million randy sailors."
