The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison, has released the report by Robert Cornall into last February’s riot on Manus Island and the death of Reza Berati.
The report says a Papua New Guinean man who worked for the Salvation Army led the beating that killed the Iranian asylum-seeker Reza Berati. A “brutal beating by several assailants” led to Berati’s death from a severe brain injury. [Read more…]
The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison, says people smugglers are on the back foot, as another week passes without a boat arrival.
At a press briefing on Operation Sovereign Borders, Morrison also revealed the name of the man who died in the disturbance on Manus Island earlier this week. The Iranian man, 23-year-old Reza Barati, had been on Manus Island since last July. [Read more…]
5.45pm Update: Morrison Holds Second Press Conference On Manus Island Incident
After a day of confused reports from Papua New Guinea, the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison, held a second press conference on the overnight incident at Manus Island which resulted in the death of one person.
- Listen to Morrison (30m)
11.00am – Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that one person is dead after a “serious incident” at Manus Island overnight.
Morrison said “perimeter breaches” occurred at the asylum seeker processing centre over a four hour period. “That incident involved persons at around just after 11 after some demonstrations, noise and various things being able to break through the fence.” [Read more…]
The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Scott Morrison, says there have been no boat arrivals for more than three weeks.
Morrison has abandoned his weekly media briefing in favour of releasing written statements. In today’s statement, he says: “It has been more than three weeks since the last group of illegal maritime arrivals were transferred to immigration authorities by Border Protection Command.”
Morrison acknowledged that January is usually a quieter period but claimed “the strong policies being implemented by the government mean that people smugglers are being denied the ability to ply their trade with any success”. He said boat arrivals numbered 419, 278 and 271 in the same period over the past three years.
A separate statement from the Customs and Border Protection Service says there are now 1259 people on Manus Island, 867 in Nauru and 2107 on Christmas Island.
Neither statement makes any mention of the towbacks reported by Indonesian and Australian media this week.
Media release from Scott Morrison, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection.
No illegal boat arrivals for more than three weeks
Once again, there have been no persons transferred to Australian immigration authorities during the past reporting week under Operation Sovereign Borders, who arrived in Australia illegally by boat.
It has been more than three weeks since the last group of illegal maritime arrivals were transferred to immigration authorities by Border Protection Command. [Read more…]