Shots fired after boy, 5, led away by Manus Island asylum-seekers

Peter Dutton says asylum-seekers led the five-year-old son of a PNG navy member into Manus Island processing centre.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has confirmed allegations that asylum-seekers allegedly led the five-year-old son of a Papua New Guinean navy member into the Manus Island regional processing centre ahead of last week’s violent exchange.

A staff member and two asylum-seekers were injured on Good Friday after allegedly intoxicated navy personnel fired up to 100 shots at asylum-seekers and staff.

An Australian staff member on Manus Island, who declined to be named, told The Australian that tensions had been inflamed when three asylum-seekers from the Pakistani and Afghan­ communities allegedly led the boy into the centre “for purposes unknown”.

Mr Dutton said yesterday that the incident had caused “a lot of angst” among PNG locals already concerned over other sexual-assaul­t allegations. A 28-year-old Pakistani refugee was charged last month over the alleged sexual assaul­t of a 10-year-old girl in Lorengau­, and in January another asylum-seeker was arrested and charged over the alleged assault of a 19-year-old student.

“There was concern about why the boy was being led, or for what purpose he was being led back to the regional processing centre, so I think it’s fair to say the mood had elevated quite quickly,” Mr Dutton said. “I think some of the local residents were angry about this particular incident and another allege­d sexual assault ... I don’t have the full details and those matters­ are under investigation.”

The staff member said the child was quickly found and returned to his outraged parents.

The fate of the more than 800 asylum-seekers housed on Manus remains uncertain, with the Australia­n government prom­ising to close the centre by October 31, and with no guarantees on how many refugees will pass US President ­Donald Trump’s “extreme vetting” process and be allowed to resettle in America.

The staff member said Friday’s fight had initially broken out on a sporting oval on the naval base ­between a group of African ­asylum-seekers, who were playing soccer, and naval personnel, who asked them to leave, citing the naval commander’s orders.

The asylum-seekers allegedly threw rocks at navy personnel and security staff who were called to take them back to the centre, and one asylum-seeker was treated for minor injuries after a navy member retaliated.

PNG police have confirmed a group of drunken navy personnel then attacked the processing centre, with at least one of them ­repeatedly firing an automatic weapon in the direction of staff and the centre. A PNG immig­ration officer and an asylum-seeker were treated for minor injuries.