Two refugees in the Manus Island Detention Centre are in need of urgent medical attention after PNG police stormed the centre earlier today.
“The situation is critical,” tweeted Behrouz Boochani, a journalist and refugee on Manus Island. “Two of the refugees fell down and are in high risk.”
It is unclear what caused the refugees to fall, but one of them has epilepsy. Abdul Aziz Adam, another refugee in the centre, says that both men are in a critical condition.
We need urgent help any Dr of nurses we have one refugee in very bad conditions pic.twitter.com/voXXtSQUYI
— Abdul Aziz Adam (@Abdulaziz_Ada) November 22, 2017
The situation is critical. Two of the refugees fell down and are in high risk. So many people are around the sick guys. The refugees are chanting this slogan “Freedom, Freedom”
— Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) November 22, 2017
We have two serious cases. Two refugees need urgent medical treatment. One of them has Epilepsy. Too much tension here.
— Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) November 23, 2017
A video posted Walid Zazai, another refugee in the camp, shows one of the men unconscious, while other men chant: “Human rights help us, they want to kill us.”
— Walid Zazai (@ZazaiWalid) November 22, 2017
Two guys fainted, PNG IMMIGRATION and Police beat them,punch them on chest and they fainted.
— Walid Zazai (@ZazaiWalid) November 22, 2017
“We don’t know if he had a heart attack because he had previous problems,” he said.
Earlier today, more than 100 PNG police officers stormed the detention centre, breaking the refugee’s possessions and reportedly beating and intimidating the men. There were reports that three refugees had been arrested.
Police yelled at refugees to stop filming, and were reportedly confiscating people’s phones. At one point, both Boochani and Adam were tweeting from the bathroom in order to report what was happening.
One of them is holding knife and telling us in worst behavior, to leave or you will regret. #Justice #Humanity #Manus pic.twitter.com/QXYDHFLW3e
— Samad Abdul (@Samad_durrani88) November 22, 2017
The refugees have been without running water, food or electricity for weeks. The camp officially closed at the end of October, but refugees are refusing to move to a new facility out of fear for their safety.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has repeatedly insisted that the new facility is complete, but drone footage obtained by SBS shows a barren centre. Local police denied reports that the facility was without running water and electricity, but confirmed the security fence had not yet been constructed.
Peter Dutton says situation on Manus Island is “like the tenant that won’t move out of the house when you’ve built a new house for them”
— Henry Belot (@Henry_Belot) November 22, 2017
