Another refugee detained by Australia on Manus Island has died, police report.
Authorities on the island state the Rohingya man was travelling by bus from refugee accomodation to a town centre shortly after 11am this morning.
The man reportedly jumped from the vehicle.
Journalist and Manus Island detainee Behrouz Boochani said it was not immediately apparent if he intentionally took his own life, referencing his “long history of Epilepsy.”
The Rohingya refugee who died in Manus today had a long history of Epilepsy. Doctor4Refugees organisaton has all the information about his illness. Apparently he jumped out of the moving bus and was face-planted into the ground after he was hit by the wheels.#Manus
— Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) May 22, 2018
Police is now investigating the case of the refugee who died today on Manus. Two years ago he was sent to Australia for medical treatment but they sent him back to Manus again without providing him with medical treatment. He was suffering for a long time.#Manus
— Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) May 22, 2018
Police have taken the man’s body to a nearby hospital and are in the process of interviewing other refugees about the incident.
In a statement, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said “this man should never have been there in the first place.
“This is a catastrophic policy failure which has taken yet another life.”
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has not yet issued a statement on the death.
He is the eighth person to die in Australia’s offshore processing system on Manus Island.
If you or someone you know would like to talk to someone about mental health, you can call the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (ages 5 to 25) or BeyondBlue on 1300 22 4636. If you are in crisis, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
