Manus Island Regional Processing Centre is Closed off to Refugees

PORT MORESBY - Papua New Guinea's Chief Justice has found that the Manus Island detention centre is closed, despite the fact that approximately 860 men still live there.

On Monday, Sir Salamo Injia accepted a submission by the PNG government that it had closed the Manus Island Regional Processing Centre, stating that the asylum seekers and refugees were now accommodated at the Lombrum naval base where the centre is located.

Sir Salamo also noted that there were still some restrictions on the men's movement because the naval base was a military facility.

The comments are at odds with the PNG government's publicly stated deadline to close the centre by October 31st of this year, which was discussed last week at a meeting with Australian officials.

PNG Correspondent Eric Tlozek says that the Chief Justice found that the government had complied with a supreme court order, issued last April, to close the centre. (abc)