Manus Island

Award-winning cartoonist escapes Manus Island

Ali Dorani, known as Eaten Fish, fled Iran in 2013 and was detained by Australia on Manus Island in January the following year.

His cartoons documented the harsh conditions in the detention centre and were published widely in newspapers, including the Washington Post, earning him a Voltaire free speech award and a prize for courage from the Cartoonists Rights Network.

In a statement, Mr Dorani thanked his supporters and said he was thinking about his friends still on Manus and in Port Moresby.

NZ aid for Manus refugees could benefit island's hospital

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern promised the money last the month after restating the offer to resettle 150 refugees from Australian offshore detention.

Deputy secretary Jeff Langley from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said there are a number of different ways the money could be channelled including to the Red Cross and other NGOs operating on the island.

He said the ministry is also talking to the Papua New Guinea government to identify needs created by the refugee population on the island.

PNG police enter Manus asylum centre, Australia confirms

Hundreds of men have refused to leave the Manus Island centre since it was shut down on 31 October, citing fears for their safety.

On Thursday, multiple men inside the centre said that PNG police had given them a one-hour deadline to leave.

Australia said it was a PNG operation.

Under a controversial policy, Australia has detained asylum seekers who arrive by boat in camps on Manus Island and Nauru, a small Pacific nation.

Deadline extended as Manus standoff continues

The centre was official closed 12 days ago and services were cut, but more than 200 men are still refusing to move to alternative accommodation nearby.

Saturday was supposed to be the deadline for the refugees to voluntarily leave, or be forcibly evicted.

But Papua New Guinea police officers, who are standing guard on the centre's perimeter, now say they must leave by tomorrow or Monday, according to refugees spoken to by RNZ Pacific.

The provincial commander, David Yapu, said force would not be used to evict the men on Saturday.

100 days of protest on Manus Island

Without water, catering, power and medical services, about 600 men are occupying the decommissioned centre, where they have been interned by Australia since 2013.

The centre was closed on October 31 when companies providing services walked away from their contracts with the Australian government, following sustained public pressure.

The court found the services were available for the refugees at up to three alternative sites in the island's main town, but the refugees say they will not swap one prison for another.

Manus Island detainees enraged by Dutton's 'Armani' comments

Peter Dutton accused the detainees of being economic refugees, fleeing poverty rather than persecution, while still being able to pay up to $AU20,000 to people smugglers.

Mr Dutton said there was anecdotal evidence that detainees had amassed "the world's biggest collection of Armani jeans and handbags on Nauru," and he said their detention was being funded by "the generosity of the Australian taxpayer."

Escape from Manus Island: Iranian refugee seeks asylum in Fiji

"This is the end for me," said Loghman Sawari, whose time in PNG he claims has been punctuated by beatings, bullying, imprisonment, illness, suicide attempts and living on the street in Lae, one of the country's most dangerous cities.

The 21-year-old Ahwazi Arab managed to board a plane under a false name after he said he was threatened by a PNG immigration official and lost hope of being resettled in the United States under President Donald Trump.

Manus Island asylum seeker charged with raping school student at hotel

Manus Province commander David Yapu said the accused was alleged to have met his 18-year-old victim in the town, before taking her to the nearby Harbourside hotel and raping her multiple times.

"The victim suffered loss of blood until she managed to escape from the room," Yapu told Fairfax Media. The incident occurred on January 17.

The victim attempted to reach safety at a relative's house but "fainted" at the side of a river until she was rescued by a passers-by, he said. She was then taken to Lorengau General Hospital for treatment.

Turnbull, Dutton announce refugee resettlement deal with US

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed the agreement this morning, but did not provide any details on timeframes or the number of people involved.

Speaking in Canberra alongside Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, Turnbull said the deal would only apply to those currently on Nauru and Manus Island.

"There will be American officials from Homeland Security coming to Australia to begin the process in the next few days."

As of October 31, there were 872 people in the processing centre on Manus Island and 390 people in Nauru's centre.

Australian Senate considers asylum abuse claims

Australia has run the controversial camps on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and on Nauru for the past three years, amid heavily criticism from human rights groups, NGOs, medical organisations and former staff.