Friday, April 04, 2014

Australia exports lawlessness

Since 2012, refugees seeking asylum in Australia have instead been dumped on Nauru and Papua New Guinea in appalling and inhumane conditions. But in January, Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruled that those detained there could challenge their detention under the country's constitution. The PNG government's response? Change the constitution to strip them of their rights:
The Papua New Guinea government has amended the country's constitution to provide legal protection for the Manus Island detention centre.

The amendments effectively deny asylum seekers the constitutional right to personal liberty.

They came into effect last month after being certified by the Speaker of Parliament.


The audio is pretty clear that the amendment was made at the behest of Australia, which wants a lawless zone for its victims. And with over A$500 million a year in aid, they have an awful lot of leverage over their poorer neighbour.