Yesterday, Tuesday 6 November, 32 people on Manus Island received answers to their applications for resettlement in the US.
Only nine of the 32 were accepted – four Rohingyans, three Afghans, one Tamil, two Pakistanis.
The only Iranian in this most recent list was rejected by the US. There were no Somalis, or Sudanese on the list.
The rejection of the Iranian refugee continues this year’s pattern of the US rejecting Iranian refugees from Manus and Nauru.
What stands out from this particular list, that also indicates the exhaustion of the US resettlement deal, is that 72 per cent of refugees have been rejected.
A total of 467 refugees – 300 from Nauru and 167 from Manus – have so far been resettled in the United States. Around 20 Manus refugees are in Port Moresby waiting to go to the US, and a similar number are waiting in Nauru. But this leaves over 1000 people in offshore camps who have no resettlement options.
“It is ludicrous for Scott Morrison to continue to say the government is relying on the US deal,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition, “It is just as ludicrous for Labor to pretend that it has third country resettlement options.
“With the US deal all but finished, New Zealand is the only third country option and it is offering to take just 150 people.
“It is obvious that the conditions on Nauru and Manus have created as much of a medical emergency among the adult refugees as among the children. There is an urgent need to evacuate both offshore detention camps and bring all the refugees and asylum seekers to Australia for medical assessment and protection.”
The Refugee Action Coalition has called a protest at 5pm, Tuesday, 20 November, 5.00pm, Customs House, Circular Quay to call for “First the Kids, Now, Everyone Off Nauru and Manus.”
The protest will coincide with teacher walk-off actions in Melbourne and Sydney on the same day – the deadline set by the World Vision #KidsOffNauru campaign for the government to have all children and their families off Nauru.
For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713
