Curtain pulled on Manus Island detention centre

Australia and PNG said yesterday they will begin the process to close Manus Island detention centre.

Behind the wire: detainees inside the Manus Island asylum-seeker detention centre. Picture: Brian Cassey.

Immigration Minister Peter ­Dutton made a surprise visit to Papua New Guinea, meeting with Prime Minister Peter O’Neil, to ­announce yesterday that both governments would work towards the closure of the Manus Island ­detention centre.

The meeting came as it emerged that a second boatload of Sri Lankan asylum-seekers had been intercepted attempting to make a voyage to Australia, when a boat was found by the Sri Lankan navy with 18 people on board on Monday. A boat with six on board was intercepted by Australian authorities this month and the passengers returned to Sri Lanka.

Mr Dutton declined to put a timeline on the closure of the Manus Island centre, which houses about 960 single men, but provided an assurance that the detainees would not be granted entry to Australia, warning of the necessity of maintaining a tough line on border protection.

He said the only two options for the detainees were resettlement in PNG or to return to their country of origin, saying it was critical for those in the facility to “hear this message very clearly” given the influence of refugee ­activists in Australia.

Mr Dutton said the government was “still working” on third-country resettlement options but cautioned that any scheme would need to be negotiated in such a way as to avoid any “pull factors”.

He said the government was committed to keeping open the detention centre on Nauru.

“I think it’s a great announcement because we’ve been able to close 17 detention centres down here on the mainland in Australia. And we’ve done that because we’ve stopped boats,” he told Sky News. “Because we haven’t got new boat arrivals we’re able to ­announce today that we will work with PNG government to close the Manus Island detention ­centre. And I think that’s a good outcome.”

Mr Dutton said Australia had returned six Sri Lankans without revealing where they were intercepted, whether those on board had applied for asylum or were ­assessed for refugee status, and how they were returned. “Australia has returned a group of Sri ­Lankan ­nationals to Sri Lanka (on Tuesday) after recently intercepting a people smuggling venture,” the minister said.

On Monday, the Sri Lankan navy apprehended 18 asylum- seekers 40 nautical miles out to sea from the port of Valaich­chenai. They were onboard a fishing vessel named Blue Star.

Sri Lankan lawyer Lakshan Dias said he would soon be visiting the 18 asylum-seekers, now in jail.

Mr Dias expected more Sri Lankans to attempt the journey because it could be done relatively cheaply without resorting to paying people-smugglers.

He said “one person will take care of the fuel, one person will take charge of the food, and one person will take charge of the other necessities” and they will pool their money and “pay a skipper” as little as $5000 to take them.

They raise the money “by mortgaging their motorbike or their land … it is very low-cost.”

“It is only three or four months’ living costs ... for that person to try a good life or run away from ­danger,” Mr Dias said.