An advance ground team from our Government and Australia will travel to Manus today to inspect the proposed processing site for asylum seekers.
This comes after yesterday’s meeting between our Foreign Affairs Minister Rimbink Pato and visiting Australian Ambassador for people smuggling issues Craig Chittick and the Acting Australian High Commissioner to PNG Margret Adamson.
The Foreign Affairs Minister has made it clear that PNG is a sovereign country and any co-operation with Australia will be subject to strict compliance.
Mr. Pato said that PNG’s main consideration for allowing the processing centre to open on Manus Island is based on Humanitarian grounds. The Minister further maintained that the processing facility is being reopened in response to a wider scheme to deter people smugglers.
The Foreign Affairs and Immigration departments will be receiving regular reports on the status of each refugee and the information will be shared with UNHCR.
Upon receipt of technical reports from Departmental officials, who are to visit the facility today, the matter will be further negotiated and an MOA to be agreed on.
