Papua New Guinea

While currently known as a relatively stable part of the world, the Pacific is no stranger to the devastating impacts of conflict. In recent decades both the Solomon Islands and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville have experienced internal strife, while communities in the PNG Highlands continue to deal with the humanitarian consequences of inter-tribal violence.

These conflicts illustrate the necessity for all countries in all regions – whether at peace or war – to know and support the humanitarian laws designed to put limits on warfare.

The following syndromes have been flagged:

Updates

Mumps:

By Colin Packham

SYDNEY, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Approximately two hundred men held in a remote Australian-run detention centre will be moved to a new facility within weeks, the country's immigration minister said.

Read the full article on Reuters - Thomson Reuters Foundation.

By Papua New Guinea correspondent Eric Tlozek

Asylum seekers who have spent four years on Manus Island now face an indefinite stay at a new detention centre in Papua New Guinea.

Asylum seekers who have spent four years on Manus Island are now facing an indefinite stay in another detention centre in Papua New Guinea.

The Federal Government has said the men whose asylum claims have been rejected are likely to be sent to another detention centre when the Manus Island facility closes.

Document Overview

Port Moresby, 11 September 2017– A new Disaster Risk Assessment report released recently shows the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB) is highly prone to multiple hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.

The following syndromes have been flagged:

• Acute Fever and Rash: Federated States of Micronesia

Other updates

Malaria vector:

• New Caledonia health officials have identified the presence of the type of mosquito that can transmit malaria. It is not known when and how the Anopheles mosquitoes entered New Caledonia but they are now established in the area of La Tontouta, north of Noumea. Source: Personal communication with New Caledonia health official and media.

08-09-2017 - This statement provides an update on Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB) activities related to the on-water reception and processing of illegal maritime arrivals.

The reporting period is from 1 August 2017 to 31 August 2017.

During this reporting period there were no illegal maritime arrivals transferred to Australian Immigration authorities.

No illegal maritime arrivals were transferred to regional processing centres.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

An Iranian refugee on Manus Island has opted out of a multi million dollar compensation package because he says it will prevent detainees from taking further legal action if more harm is inflicted on them.

Read more on Radio New Zealand International.

An Australian court has approved a $56 million settlement of a lawsuit brought against the government by nearly 2,000 asylum-seekers who claim to have suffered psychological and physical abuse while being held at a remote Pacific detention center.

The deal, reached back in June and approved Wednesday by Victoria state's Supreme Court, is the largest human rights legal settlement in Australian history.

Nauru's president Baron Waqa says he's confident refugees housed on the island by Australia will eventually find a nation to take them.

Read more on Radio New Zealand International.

Buka, 31 August 2017: Women in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville are meeting in Buka to discuss key issues and priorities for them, as the region makes progresses towards the referendum.

Women from South, Central and North Bougainville have come together for a five-day conference from 28 August to 1 September 2017, to highlight the significant role, both historically and currently, that women play in peacebuilding and security in the region.

The following syndromes have been flagged:

• Acute Fever and Rash: Fiji, French Polynesia, Niue

There are no updates this week.

Port Moresby – Oro Province in Papua New Guinea is prone to natural disasters, including volcanic eruptions, cyclones and flooding, which have led to displacement, destruction of property and even death. The disasters have increased the vulnerability of communities, limiting their access to essential services, including safe drinking water.

Canberra, 29 August 2017 Statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Regional Representation in Canberra

A growing number of detainees is being transferred from Papua New Guinea's Manus Island to Port Moresby with the understanding they will not be returning to the detention centre.

Read more on Radio New Zealand International.

Disaster risk reduction in the Pacific has been given a boost by the establishment of a new multi-hazard early warning system sub-regional hub in Papua New Guinea.

It was inaugurated at the third regional integrated multi-hazard early warning systems (RIMES) ministerial conference in Port Moresby on 25 August, attended by ministers from throughout the region.

The Australian Government’s decision to withdraw all support from vulnerable people seeking asylum is “savage and cruel”, says CEO of the Refugee Council of Australia, Paul Power. Within days, hundreds of people who were brought to Australia from the Nauru and Manus Island detention centres for health reasons will have meagre yet critical support cut completely.

There is a call for better planning to contain election-related problems which bring life to a standstill in parts of Papua New Guinea.

Read more on Radio New Zealand International.