Operation initiated by authorities to remove 600 refugees from Manus Island center
Authorities have started to dismantle the detention center
on Manus Island, as an estimated 600 refugees and asylum seekers refuse to
leave the site amid an ongoing week long standoff.
Almost 60 people have voluntarily left the center on buses
that had been waiting outside to take them to new facilities, according to a
statement Friday from Papua New Guinea (PNG) police.
The operation, codenamed Helpim Friends would use buses and
trucks to transport the refugees to their new centers without the use of
force," Manus Provincial Police Commander Chief Inspector David Yapu said
in the statement.
Around 600 refugees have been without food and water for
over a week after services were shut off at the Manus Island center, which
officially closed on October 31.
The refugees, detained in the center for years, say if they
leave they risk being attacked by locals who don't want them living in their
town.
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