MANUS ISLAND (Pacific Media Watch / Sydney Morning Herald): The Australian government is continuing to distance itself from the violent attack on at the deportation centre it runs on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, this time refusing a request from the PNG police to help it get to the bottom of what really happened on March 17.
David Wroe of the Sydney Morning Herald reported today that the Australian Federal Police had rejected a request from the PNG police to help interview asylum seekers about the incident last month, where asylum seeker Reza Barati, an Iranian architect, was killed and 77 other asylum seekers injured.
According to Wroe: "PNG police said they needed the Australian help because some witnesses to the violence at the immigration detention centre in mid-February were reluctant to speak to local Manus Island investigators and had demanded instead to speak to Australians".
But the Australian police said it had no intention of giving any "further support" to their colleagues in PNG, despite the fact that it is an Australian deportation centre and that last week it was revealed that two Australian employees of Group Four Security (G4S) were the suspects in Barati's killing.
It is proving difficult to get to the bottom of who exactly was behind the attack, as the two Australian suspects are back in Australia along with all other G4S workers since G4S no no longer has the contract to run the deportation centre.
Wroe reported that Australian Justice Minister Michael Keenan had not responded when asked if the government had influenced the police decision.
It is also not clear if the Australian government will allow the two security guards to be extradited to PNG for questioning about Barati's killing.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that he believes most asylum seekers on PNG are "economic migrants" and not genuine refugees fleeing violence.
Today, Abbott said more Pacific Island nations should help "shoulder the burden" of the country's asylum seeker issue, Radio New Zealand International reported.
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