Nauru's roughly 900 detainees, including 100 children, often wait years to find out if they have been deemed genuine refugees. Rights activists say detainees endure harsh conditions including substandard housing in scorching heat, with reports also detailing allegations of physical and sexual abuse. Reporters Without Borders in August also accused the Australian government of failing to defend journalistic freedoms in relation to the camp, which it described as a "Pacific Gulag" and "Australia's Guantanamo". But detainees say their relations with Nauruans are deteriorating and claim that they have been the target of violence and burglary at the hands of locals. However, some Nauruans say they have yet to see any benefits from the Australian-bankrolled camps, with one young man telling AFP: "We do not know where this money goes".

Source: Bangkok Post September 11, 2018 05:26 UTC