SYDNEY: Tensions were high on a Papua New Guinea island Sunday as authorities prepared to close an Australian refugee camp, with local police calling for calm as some detainees refused to move. AdvertisementsThe Manus Island detention center, to close Tuesday, is one of two Pacific camps where asylum-seekers who try to enter Australia by boat are sent for processing under Canberra’s harsh immigration policy. Some have also refused to relocate on Manus, citing safety fears amid reports they would not be welcomed in local neighborhoods. “The guys (refugees) have said they will stay, they don’t intend to move,” Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul told AFP Sunday. Conditions in both camps have been widely criticized by refugee advocates and medical professionals amid reports of widespread abuse, self-harm and mental health problems.

Source: Manila Times October 29, 2017 11:26 UTC