GENEVA, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said Thursday it is troubled by reports to its staff on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea of force being used to remove refugees and asylum seekers refusing to move.
Reports said police in Papua New Guinea have entered the decommissioned camp on Manus Island, trying to evict refugees who are refusing to leave from the former Regional Processing Center.
UNHCR said in a statement it has been given assurances that excessive force has not been used, but said it cannot independently confirm as staff have not been granted full access to the facility.
The Manus Island center, where refugees who tried to come to Australia by boat were detained, was closed at the end of October with essential services being cut off and detainees offered resettlement in the United States.
More than 420 men have refused to leave the center, however, saying they fear for their safety in the town of Lorangau where they would be held before going to the United States.
"UNHCR reminds Australia of its obligation to take full responsibility and provide effective protection, safety and lasting solutions for all refugees and asylum-seekers in cooperation with the Papua New Guinean authorities," said UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Volker Turk. "We urge both governments to engage in constructive dialogue, to de-escalate the tensions and work on urgent lasting solutions to their plight."
The UNHCR team on Manus Island is continuing to verify the facts and establish the number of refugees and asylum seekers who remain at the RPC, as well as at other locations to which they have now been transferred.
UNHCR is in contact with other humanitarian agencies and organisations to ensure medical care can be provided to anyone who may have suffered injuries.
