Greens urge Australia to abide by law on Manus

1:46 pm on 3 June 2016
Andrew Kutapae of the Papua New Guinea Green movement.

Andrew Kutapae of the Papua New Guinea Green movement. Photo: RNZI

Greens parties throughout the Asia-Pacific region are appalled at the way Australia's asylum seeker-processing centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru have been violating human rights.

That's according to the general-secretary of the PNG Greens Party Andrew Kutapae, fresh from an Asia-Pacific Greens Federation study tour in Australia.

He says the plight of refugees on PNG's Manus Island and the Australian Government's imposition of detention centres on Manus and Nauru are pressing issues.

Mr Kutapae says that despite April's PNG Supreme court decision that detaining asylum people on Manus was illegal and that they should be released, the illegal detention operations continue.

He says the detention centre has brought few social or economic benefits to the people of Manus.

He says Australia should immediately stop its use of Manus to illegally detain refugees and abuse their human rights.