Transcript
The Sudanese refugee, Omar Jack Giram, says US resettlement is fake news.
"I will be very, very happy if there is a real deal between Australia and America because it's very hard to me to believe things here in Manus Island. You know, it's almost four years we have been told many, many fake news and fake informations about our future. So I hope this is a real deal between two countries."
Interned in Papua New Guinea to deter other asylum seekers from entering Australia, the refugee, Imran, says it's impossible for refugees to settle there.
"Papua New Guinea is a country where I was forcibly moved against my will. I don't feel safe in this country and they don't have any laws for the refugees to be resettled. This country is governed by Australian government and we are constantly watched by Australia. So it is clear to us that we are not welcome in this country. We are just being used by Australian Government."
The refugee, Amir, says US resettlement is a pipe dream.
But he says violent altercations between refugees and locals have convinced him that staying on Manus Island is not an option.
"Absolutely not because PNG is not a country that I sought asylum and Papua New Guinea is absolutely not safe for me and many other refugees. It's been already four years that I've spent being in the centre, the detention centre, the prison camp. The whole island is like a prison for us. So we are getting hopeless and helpless and we have this feeling that we are not going to get off this island."
The refugee Ben Moghimi says he's happy to meet US officials at the prison camp in Lombrum naval base, but he thinks the deal is a trick.
"We know that we cannot live in this country and they know that. But they are trying to trick us as much as they can because they don't care about us. They killed Reza Barati, Hamid Kehazaei, Faysal Ishak and they are trying to kill us. If the US officials want they can come and interview me in Lombrum. I would love to go to US. It's a good opportunity that they put in front of me. If they want to interview me they can come interview me in Lombrum."
The refugees say they've been told US immigration officials will arrive on Manus island on February the 14th.
This is Ben Robinson Drawbridge.
Audio in this package was collected by the Kurdish journalist and detainee, Behrouz Boochani.
