Transcript
Police had terrorised people at the Lombrum Centre on Thursday with several dozen leaving. And as Abdul Aziz Adam recounts they came back early today.
"In the morning I think around 6 o'clock police worked in and they say, you people are illegal in this place and then the second thing we just saw they started beating people one by one, taking their phones away and beating people and taking their phones away. And too many guys they actually injured and we don't knoww wht's next or what's going to happen."
The police commissioner Gari Baki had promised the operation would be peaceful and in a statement last night he attacked the media for misleading reports that violence had been used by his staff. But there have a number of film clips circulating on social media which show the use of sticks and pictures of the injuries inflicted. Abdul Aziz Adam says everyone today was treated violently.
"The only things that will tell are the people when you see their pictures. Everyone has got bruises, either in the hands, their faces or on their back and what we saw today people are bleeding. So what does that mean? Is that a force or is it not a force? If someone is sitting on the ground and you drag him and you beat him, what does that mean?"
He is now in Lorengau.
Outspoken Kurdish journalist Behrouz Boochani, who was marched out of the Lombrum camp on Thursday in handcuffs and given a dressing down before being taken to Lorengau, has been told police today destroyed everything in the old camp. The refugees have been opposed to going to Lorengau for a number of reasons. Abdul Aziz Adam says they do not want to move to what would be another prison, they want to move to a third country. In addition it has been well documented, most recently just this week by the UNHCR, that the facilities are nowhere near ready. In addition Human Rights Law Centre lawyer, Amy Frew, says the refugees are fearful about how the people of Lorengau will treat them, and the men are rightly terrified about what might happen, when they don't have a locked camp they can retreat to.
"And the other was where a local man entered the facility to turn off the generator and the security was unable to stop him and out of fear he would return the genertor was not switched on again for a number of days, meaning the men were without power in those tropical environments in very small shipping containers where they housed - it's an unbearable situation."
Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull remains firm on his country's position on the refugees.
"They think this is some way they can pressure the Australian government to let them come to Australia, well we will not be pressured. I want to be very clear about this. The integrity of our borders is maintained by my government and we will not outsource our migration policy to people smugglers."
Officially Australia has been claiming it is PNG's matter to resolve but as Amy Frew points out Canberra's print is all over what has been happening this week.
"Australia is very much holding the puppet strings and the purse strings on this operation and Australia is trying to say that Papua New Guinea has responsibility but really it is very clear that Australia is in control and Australia is responsible for the lives and the safety of these men."
What happens from this point is anyone's guess with Abdul Aziz Adam telling me people are tired and confused and don't know what is know going on.