Transcript
140 detainees sent a letter sent to New Zealand prime minister Bill English this week pleading for rescue. Iranian asylum seeker Benham Satah was the first to sign the petition.
"We have been detained almost four years in very bad conditions and situation. So we are requesting the Right Honourable Bill English to allow us to go to New Zealand and process our claims and save us from these harsh conditions that we are going through."
With the imminent closure of the Manus detention centre, its 800-odd detainees will be repatriated, deported, settled in the US or in PNG. Mr Satah says violent conflict with locals and two attacks on the detention centre deterred detainees from processing their refugee claims in PNG where they felt it was not safe to stay.
"The reason they gave us negative status was because many of us refused to process our claims. We never felt safe in this country, as you know we have been attacked a couple of times. While we have been here we have always heard about New Zealand who supports and respects refugees. We promise to contribute to the New Zealand community and to all New Zedaland people."
Australia declined a previous offer from New Zealand to take some of its offshore detainees, but Amnesty International's Grant Bayldon says the offer should be redirected to PNG.
"New Zealand has offered to take up to 150 from Australia from its offshore centres, but it seems the Australian governmnet isn't going to do the right thing any time soon. And really it's time now when the New Zealand governmnet needs to make that offer to the PNG governmnet and to Nauru as well."
The PNG immigration minister Rimbink Pato would not confirm if his government would consider such an offer although he implied last month that third country resettlement was Australia's domain.
"Australia bears full responsibility for the asylum seekers, some of whom have now been determined as refugees and others non-refugees. So, so long as the last person remains at the centre, so long as the last person cannot be resettled in the USA, resettled in a third country, or resettled in PNG, then obviously Australia will help us find a solution, because it's really Australia that we are seeking to help."
But Grant Bayldon says its up to PNG to sort out Australia's mess.
"The Australian government has said that any deal would need to be between New Zealand and PNG or Nauru. The PNG government clearly has a problem on its hands, it's not viable to resettle them there. The Australian government bares the primary responsibility to bring them back to Australia but of course if they don't do the right thing then other countries in the region, including New Zealand, should do the right thing."
The gradual closure of the Manus Island detention centre has begun with the centre due to empty by October the 31st.
