One refugee described themselves as 'powerless people'. Photo/AAP

Twyford describes Manus as a 'weeping sore' as refugees fear officials arrival

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World

Author: NewstalK ZB Staff,
Publish Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2017, 3:53pm

A Manus Island refugee says detainees will peacefully resist government efforts to forcibly remove them from the camp tomorrow.

Behrouz Boochani is one of nearly 600 detainees in the camp.

He said the detainees fear they'll beaten or even killed when officials enter the centre.

"We are people and we are powerless people. Any time we expecting they attack us."

The Papua New Guinea government wants to move the detainees to other camps on the island, but the refugees are afraid of attacks from the locals as well.

Earlier this morning Housing Minister Phil Twyford described it as "a weeping sore" in New Zealand's back yard.

New Zealand has offered to take 150 of them, but the Australian government hasn't taken it up.

"It's a weeping sore in terms of human rights, and it's right in our back yard," Twyford said on Newshub's AM Show on Friday.

"I think the prime minister did the right thing when she reiterated to (Australian Prime Minister) Malcolm Turnbull that New Zealand was prepared to take some of those people."

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reiterated New Zealand's offer to take some of the refugees when she met Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney on Sunday.

Turnbull didn't turn it down outright, saying he first wanted to work through a deal with the United States.

"Since I've left Australia we have continued to encourage Australia (to accept)," Ardern told reporters on Friday morning (NZ time) at the APEC Summit in Vietnam.

"That contact has continued since I left and I intend to talk to Prime Minister Turnbull about it as soon as I am able."

Both leaders are attending the APEC Summit in Da Nang, where they're expected to host a Remembrance Day breakfast together on Saturday morning, but will meet first at a Trans-Pacific Partnership meeting on Friday afternoon.

New Zealand's offer was made in 2013 by the previous government.

Australia has several times rejected it, saying it would give refugees a back door into Australia and could be used as a marketing opportunity by people smugglers.