Refugee advocates speak up for Manus

LOCAL activism against the events taking place on Manus Island continues, with Surf Coast Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) holding a number of protests in Torquay and surrounds in recent days.

One of these was held outside the Woolworths supermarket in Bristol Road, and featured as many as 12 refugee advocates holding signs and a banner with the hashtag #BRINGTHEMHERE.

The Papua New Guinea government has closed the Australian-funded detention centre but about 400 of the refugees and asylum seekers inside have refused to leave, saying they fear for their safety.

Surf Coast RAR’s John Bartlett said there had been a history of violence by Papua New Guinea locals against asylum seekers.

“We just feel that the Australian government, despite what they say, still has a responsibility for those men, and they can act on that as promptly as possible and avert a catastrophe.”

He said the group had experienced a mixed reaction from passers-by.

“Some people feel as if they can’t do much but we’ve got phone numbers we’ve been giving to people for the Prime Minister, Bill Shorten, Sarah Henderson and Peter Dutton, and asking them, if they feel strongly, to ring those offices.

“Our experience in the past has been the people in the offices have been very understanding and very polite and very happy for us to ring, so we just feel that if we can get a number of people to pressure the government to do something a bit more substantial, that’s about as much we can do.”