Papua New Guinea police have launched their most intensive effort yet to move refugees occupying the decommissioned Manus Island detention centre.
Police, soldiers and Papua New Guinea government officials went into the centre at about seven o'clock local time this morning, to move the refugees to three new facilities on the island.
Johnny Blades spoke to a Sudanese refugee in the centre, Abdul Aziz Adam, who says the raid is a level of aggression not experienced since a deadly riot at the centre in 2014.
A Manus Island refugee injured during the raid, 23-11-17
Photo: supplied
Transcript
ABDUL AZIZ ADAM: The police came up in early morning around ten to seven police, immigration including the defence force. They have got their loud speakers and they were telling people to move out from the detention centre to the new facility. But unfortunately none of those men wanted to move out, so the move up they came to delta compound and then they start pushing people, swearing and beating. So far two refugee has been arrested and one of them here has been beaten up in front of the other peoples and also they want to arrest too many people but the refugees they are all together they chain their hands together they were sitting on the floor. They were shouting that we are peaceful and we don't want your country and we don't want to move so please stop forcing us. And the police are so aggressive and they are throwing stones, they are carrying batons some of them they are carrying sticks and they are swearing and shouting so it is a really crazy moment that we are in right now.
JOHNNY BLADES: This isnt something they have done before like this, this is a new level of intensity from the police?
AAA: This is totally something that it hasn't been done before and this is what is happen right now it is similar to 2014 when we have lost our brother Reza Berati. So it is getting worse and worse every minute. The police are still inside the compound but the refugees are not talking are not saying anything. The police are swearing at the refugees some of them they spit on them and then they say this is our country and you guys are here illegally in our country you have to move out of this place. So the tension is really, really high and this is a similar to the 2014 incident and we are praying that no one will get hurt. From our side we are peaceful but the police and the immigration are provoking us.
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