PNG removes rights of appeal for asylum seekers

5:09 pm on 2 September 2015

The Papua New Guinea Immigration department has summarily removed the right of appeal from asylum seekers in the Australian run camp on Manus Island.

At a meeting on Manus about 30 asylum seekers were told that they would no longer be able to appeal against negative refugee determination decisions.

Until now, asylum seekers have been able to appeal negative determinations.

But a PNG immigration official says the Minister for Immigration had decided people who got a negative result on the first interview would no longer be allowed an appeal.

The Refugee Action Coalition says the asylum seekers were also told to either return to their home countries with the assistance of the International Organisation of Mirgration or be forcibly deported by PNG Immigration.

A case is before the PNG Supreme Court that challenges the legality of the Manus camp and the Coalition's Ian Rintoul says PNG Immigration is trying to pre-empt the court's decisions and violate the rights of asylum seekers.

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