PNG says allows migrants to leave detention during day

MELBOURNE, Australia

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has begun allowing asylum seekers and refugees to leave a detention center it hosts for Australia during the daytime, after the Pacific island nation’s Supreme Court ruled the policy unconstitutional.

Australian news broadcaster ABC reported Thursday that PNG’s Immigration and Citizenship Advisory Service said the 898 men at the center on Manus Island were no longer in detention.

"No asylum seeker or refugee is in detention," Deputy Chief Migration Officer Esther Gaegaming was quoted as saying.

"We are continuing to work towards fully implementing the orders of the Supreme Court."

Under its immigration policy, Australia detains asylum seekers who arrive by boat, in processing centers on Manus and Nauru, where conditions have been described as appalling by rights advocates.

Last month, PNG's Supreme Court ruled the Manus center unconstitutional, prompting Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to order its closure.

Those held at Manus facility are reportedly now able to take morning buses to the main town, after signing documents rendering their safety their own responsibility.

The ABC, however, cited a refugee as saying that they were still denied true freedom of movement.

"They are still controlling us. Even when we want to go from Oscar to Delta [internal compounds] we should give our ID cards to the officers," Behrouz Boochani said.

"It means we are not free to walk," he underlined, adding that those classified as genuine refugees were still kept separated from asylum seekers.

Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton responded to the changes on Manus by saying he did not expect that they would cause Australia to have to renegotiate its contract with PNG authorities.

"I don't think it does [require renegotiation] -- there are still support services that are provided, we provide funding to the PNG government and organizations," the Australian Associated Press quoted him as telling reporters Thursday in Canberra.

"The Australian side has made it very clear that people won't be settled in Australia and the PNG side has made it very clear that they want to comply with the ruling of the court," he stressed.

"They're a sovereign nation and they have responsibility for their processing center."