Asylum seekers defy deadline to leave decommissioned PNG camp

13 Nov, 2017 09:35 / Updated 6 years ago

Hundreds of people who attempted to seek asylum in Australia defied a Monday deadline to leave a decommissioned immigration camp on Papua New Guinea, according to police. The camp inside a Manus Island navy base was declared closed on October 31. However, 379 of the 606 men at the male-only camp remained there 13 days later without power or running water. The asylum seekers fear for their safety in the alternative shelters. Manus provincial police commander Chief Inspector David Yapu said he “will need some clear directives on our next course of action” since the remainder refused to leave voluntarily, AP reports.