Transcript
The Governor of Manus in Papua New Guinea says people in his province have had their reputation tarnished unfairly through negative publicity about the asylum seeker processing centre there.
More than 850 asylum seekers and 87 refugees are being detained indefinitely on Manus Island two years after Australia announced it would process and resettle "boat people" in PNG.
Since January 2015, PNG and Australian authorities have transferred 40 men found to be refugees to a transit centre, but they are still held in what Human Rights Watch describes as poor conditions and prevented from leaving Manus and are denied opportunities to work and study.
Some of the refugees are qualified, including a doctor and an engineer.
The Manus Governor Charlie Benjamin spoke to Johnny Blades who asked whether Manus could use the skills of some of the refugees.
CHARLIE BENJAMIN: Well definitely, we need them in Manus, we need them in Papua New Guinea. But it's the administrative matter which the minister and the immigration and how they're dealing with this that is delaying all of these things. Even I am not quite happy with what is happening but... like I said, it's something that is probably beyond me.
JOHNNY BLADES: And what about your community up there... we hear a lot about the refugees being afraid for their own safety or not sure how people will take them; do you think that's a bit unfair on your people, what's the feeling, do you think things would be okay theoretically if they moved in?
CB: Well, you just need to come to Manus and see how freely they walk around, go to the markets, go to the shops, some of them even go and have drinks with some of these gentlemen, even late in the night, so I don't think that's really true. There's always been these bad comments about all of these things and it is really not fair. I think our place here is a lot more safer than a lot of those places that people are writing news about.
JB: So you're talking about those people who are already in the transit centre, is that right, they're free to move around?
CB: Yeah, that's right, those who are already up at the camp at Lorengau, just waiting for a final okay for them to work in the country.
JB: There's no national refugee policy yet, is that right?
CB: Yeah, I think that is probably right. And I think the national government is taking much, much longer than a lot of us would want to see, how it goes. You know, the sooner we sort this one out, get them to live their normal lives and then, who knows, new ones might be coming in.
