Refugee Abdul Aziz Muhamat, Dutton at odds over Manus resettlement

Peter Dutton’s office and an asylum seeker on Manus Island who appeared on Q&A are at odds over US resettlement application.

Abdul Aziz Muhamet appears on Q&A this week.

A Sudanese asylum seeker on Manus Island has accused Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s office of falsely accusing him of failing to apply for resettlement in the United States, but Mr Dutton’s office and the Department of Immigration maintain they have no record of the man’s application.

Abdul Aziz Muhamat told the ABC’s Q&A on Monday night that all he wants is “freedom in a safe country”, such as Canada, New Zealand or the United States.

Mr Dutton’s office responded yesterday by saying he had failed to formally express interest in being resettled in the US.

Mr Aziz says he has not filled out or received any documentation, but does not believe he was required to do so.

“When you express interest they don’t give any document,” Mr Muhamat told The Australian today in a written statement.

“There is no document involved ... there’s list of ppl what you do only tick your name nothing else, I did it in Charlie compound when first time the (Australian Border Force) officers came in to the (Manus Island Regional Processing) centre in 2016 but I can’t remember the month and date.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Dutton said there was documentation involved.

“Of course there is,” she said.

“The department has absolutely no record of him applying to be considered for the US.

“He is still more than welcome to apply to be considered, but obviously he hasn’t done that. “The option still remains available to him.”

Mr Muhamat said he was upset that Mr Dutton’s office was suggesting he had failed to register.

“I can’t believe that you said I failed to register,” he said.

“I was the second refugees who had registered with the USA official when they came to Manus but unfortunately am still waiting.”

Mr Muhamat also took exception to Mr Dutton’s office suggesting yesterday that he had “a history of abusive and aggressive behaviour towards staff” on Manus Island.

“I don’t know how abuse towards staff or anyone else am highly respected guy in the camp by the staff and all the immigrations officers, for the last four and half years they are playing with reputation of ppl especially when they don’t have enough information about the individual,” he said.

Mr Muhamat featured in a series of podcasts produced by activist group Behind the Wire and Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre, which won a Walkley Award for Best Radio/Audio Feature last week.

In Monday’s Q&A video message, he wore a stars and stripes T-shirt and said he had been detained on Manus Island for four and a half years.

“I have seen friends die because of violence and medical negligence,” Mr Muhamat said.

“We have been attacked by Navy and police and we have witnessed abuse by the Australian government-paid guards.

“We are refugees. All we want is freedom in a safe country, not necessarily Australia, for example somewhere like Canada, New Zealand, or the United States.

“My question to the panel, how long will Australia keep us here in danger?”

A spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said in response that Mr Muhamat had been found to be a refugee, but had not applied to be considered for resettlement as part of the US deal with Australia to take 1250 asylum seekers from Manus Island and Nauru.

Mr Dutton’s office disputed that Mr Muhamat was in detention, given the East Lorengau Refugee Transit Centre, where he is living, is an open accommodation facility where asylum seekers are free to come and go.

“(Mr Muhamat) has also actively engaged in approximately nine protest activities while residing at the Manus RPC and leading up to its closure — he was a speaker in seven of those protests — and has a history of abusive and aggressive behaviour towards staff,” a spokeswoman for Mr Dutton said.