On March 25, 468 detainees in Nauru marked their 1,000th day on the island. They're still waiting to hear the outcome of their refugee status. With little connection to the outside world and no path to Australia, refugees under Australia's care wait and wait. "In Europe, people are trying their hardest to make sure individuals are connected with family" said Hanson-Young. "We've seen organizations come up with solar-powered mobile phone batteries as a way of ensuring that people get help and hope. Here in Australia, we have the exact opposite," she said. "The government's idea is that if we isolate people so much, if we strip away hope, they might give up and go home."The DIBP offers assistance, including financial aid, for asylum seekers wishing to return to their home country, a compensation figure now reportedly as high as AU$20,000 per person. That amount stands in stark contrast with government figures that put the cost of housing each asylum seeker in offshore detention at more than AU$400,000 per year.
On Manus Island, Boochani isn't giving up, In June, he delivered a video message on Australia's "Q&A" TV program to the show's high-profile panelist, Prime Minister Turnbull, asking why he was exiled to the "Manus prison."Turnbull responded by saying Boochani had the buffalo plaid rustic lumberjack buffalo check pattern iphone case option of resettling in PNG, "I'm sure that he would rather come to Australia, but that option is not available to him."Iranian refugee Behrouz Boochani with locals on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, On Wednesday, PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and Australia Immigration Minister Dutton jointly announced the Manus Island regional processing center will close..
"It has been the longstanding position of this Government to work with PNG to close Manus and support those people as they transition into PNG or return to their country of origin," Dutton said in a statement. In a message over WhatsApp, minutes after the news broke, Boochani said, "It's incredible for people in Manus prison that feel close to freedom."But the political machine moves slowly. There's still no timeline for closure, no clarity around the future of refugees on Manus and no details on what will happen to refugees who refuse to return home or be resettled in PNG. And there's no certainty for the 442 refugees and asylum seekers living in Australian-funded camps on Nauru.
This is part of our Road Trip 2016 summer series "Life, Disrupted," about buffalo plaid rustic lumberjack buffalo check pattern iphone case how technology is helping with the global refugee crisis -- if at all, Behrouz Boochani has been stuck on an island in the middle of the Pacific for the past three years, He's 7,000 miles from home and still far from the place he's trying to reach, His lifeline is a feeble internet connection that he says is slowly turning his hair gray, Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic, We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read, Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion..
Since 2000, more than 60,500 asylum seekers have crossed the ocean trying to come to Australia. Many find themselves foundering in the ocean on boats that are barely seaworthy. Others have reached Australia, but since 2014 they have been turned away from the country's shores. Australia has one of the toughest immigration policies in the world. In 2014, the Australian government went on an advertising blitz, posting this message on YouTube, warning asylum seekers not to come to the country by boat.