120 refugees in Port Moresby for medical treatment

A total of 120 refugees have been brought into Port Moresby for medical treatment.

It is claimed that these men have been suffering from serious symptoms such as chronic stomach pain for more than 3 years and are yet to receive adequate treatment.

National secretary of PNG Greens, Andrew Kutapae, after meeting with the refugees over the weekend, has called on the Australian Government to properly arrange refugees in Manus and Port Moresby to be sent back to Australia.

Kutapae said that keeping the men in limbo for more than 4 years is an abuse of their human rights.

He said he’s also disturbed by the conditions on Manus Island that the refugees have described, and the country’s (PNG) reputation could suffer by being associated with the human rights abuses of the Australian Government.

Speaking on behalf of the men who have been detained by Australia, Zamir Ali, said that it is hard to describe how painful it is.

“It is easy to say 4 years, but it feels like a lifetime. I had completed my degree in computer science and imagined a bright future. But I was forced to leave my family and friends because I was in danger.

“I feel like I have lost my youth, and I carry so much pain inside. I still don’t know what will happen to me.”
Australia has signed the refugee convention, yet the Australian Government is pressuring refugees to return to their home countries. Refugees fled these countries because they were not safe.

The PNG Government has told the Australian Government that they cannot abandon these men in PNG.

Kutapae said that Australia must now accept the reality, take them to Australia and arrange decent medical care for them.

SOURCE: POST COURIER/PACNEWS