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| Papua New Guinea to Resettle Refugees From Australian Detention Center | Papua New Guinea to Resettle Refugees From Australian Detention Center |
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| HONG KONG — Australia, which has been criticized for its policy of sending asylum seekers to offshore detention centers, said the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea would begin resettling refugees who are now being held in camps there. | |
| Peter Dutton, Australia’s immigration minister, said the resettlement offers would be limited to people who have been classified as refugees, meaning they have fled war or persecution. “No one will be resettled in Australia,” Mr. Dutton said in a statement dated Thursday. | Peter Dutton, Australia’s immigration minister, said the resettlement offers would be limited to people who have been classified as refugees, meaning they have fled war or persecution. “No one will be resettled in Australia,” Mr. Dutton said in a statement dated Thursday. |
| The statement did not indicate how many refugees were expected to be resettled in Papua New Guinea, nor did an earlier statement from that country’s foreign minister. | The statement did not indicate how many refugees were expected to be resettled in Papua New Guinea, nor did an earlier statement from that country’s foreign minister. |
| Australia’s policies toward migrants who try to reach it by sea have come under increasing criticism from rights groups, who say the country’s two offshore detention centers — one on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, and the other in the isolated island state of Nauru — expose asylum seekers to harsh and unsafe conditions and leave them with uncertain futures. | Australia’s policies toward migrants who try to reach it by sea have come under increasing criticism from rights groups, who say the country’s two offshore detention centers — one on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, and the other in the isolated island state of Nauru — expose asylum seekers to harsh and unsafe conditions and leave them with uncertain futures. |
| The government says its approach has helped reduce the number of people who try to reach Australia in dangerous journeys by boat. It says it will not allow any such asylum seekers to settle in Australia. | The government says its approach has helped reduce the number of people who try to reach Australia in dangerous journeys by boat. It says it will not allow any such asylum seekers to settle in Australia. |
| Australia said it was spending more than $700 million on aid and infrastructure development for Papua New Guinea as part of a 2013 agreement to house and process asylum seekers there. The camp, which is restricted to single men, held 936 detainees as of August. It has been the site of sexual assaults and unrest, including a riot in February 2014 that left a 23-year-old asylum seeker from Iran dead. | Australia said it was spending more than $700 million on aid and infrastructure development for Papua New Guinea as part of a 2013 agreement to house and process asylum seekers there. The camp, which is restricted to single men, held 936 detainees as of August. It has been the site of sexual assaults and unrest, including a riot in February 2014 that left a 23-year-old asylum seeker from Iran dead. |
| “The P.N.G. government has shown with this announcement its commitment to permit those found to be refugees to get on with their lives and have a fresh start in this dynamic nation with a growing economy,” Mr. Dutton said. | “The P.N.G. government has shown with this announcement its commitment to permit those found to be refugees to get on with their lives and have a fresh start in this dynamic nation with a growing economy,” Mr. Dutton said. |
| But advocates have said that conditions could prove difficult for refugees in Papua New Guinea, which has one of the world’s highest crime rates. Its capital, Port Moresby, has high unemployment and is often ranked in surveys as one of the world’s least livable cities. | But advocates have said that conditions could prove difficult for refugees in Papua New Guinea, which has one of the world’s highest crime rates. Its capital, Port Moresby, has high unemployment and is often ranked in surveys as one of the world’s least livable cities. |
| Rimbink Pato, Papua New Guinea’s minister of foreign affairs and immigration, said in a statement this week that the resettlement policy had taken time to develop. “It is crucial that we get this right,” he said, adding, “Settlement of refugees is not easy, and we have to ensure refugees are not competing for employment and income-earning opportunities with our citizens.” | Rimbink Pato, Papua New Guinea’s minister of foreign affairs and immigration, said in a statement this week that the resettlement policy had taken time to develop. “It is crucial that we get this right,” he said, adding, “Settlement of refugees is not easy, and we have to ensure refugees are not competing for employment and income-earning opportunities with our citizens.” |
| Australia has made previous attempts to resettle offshore detainees in other countries, with little success. It spent $29 million on a plan to send some to Cambodia, but just four have moved there over the past year. Australia recently said it was in discussions with the Philippines about taking asylum seekers who are now being held in Nauru. | Australia has made previous attempts to resettle offshore detainees in other countries, with little success. It spent $29 million on a plan to send some to Cambodia, but just four have moved there over the past year. Australia recently said it was in discussions with the Philippines about taking asylum seekers who are now being held in Nauru. |
| Australia’s highest court recently heard a challenge to its asylum-seeker policies, brought on behalf of detainees who had been flown to Australia for medical treatment. The court has yet to issue a ruling. | Australia’s highest court recently heard a challenge to its asylum-seeker policies, brought on behalf of detainees who had been flown to Australia for medical treatment. The court has yet to issue a ruling. |
| The case of a Somali refugee whose lawyers say she was raped on Nauru has heightened public criticism of the offshore detention policy. The woman was brought to Australia this month after her lawyers said she wanted an abortion, but she was flown back to Nauru days later without having her pregnancy terminated. | The case of a Somali refugee whose lawyers say she was raped on Nauru has heightened public criticism of the offshore detention policy. The woman was brought to Australia this month after her lawyers said she wanted an abortion, but she was flown back to Nauru days later without having her pregnancy terminated. |