in brief: asylum seekers battle with guards on manus island

Thirty-five asylum seekers escaped from Manus Island detention centre on Sunday, after a violent clash with security forces.

Following a meeting on Sunday evening, asylum seekers attempted to shatter windows and created weapons out of their beds and fencing, before fleeing the compound.

The asylum seekers had been told by immigration officials that if they were not found to be refugees neither Australia nor the PNG would help them find countries to resettle in.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said ‘it is our intention they will never be resettled in Australia‘, amidst reports that the asylum seekers were told that they wouldn’t be resettled in Australia.

Mr. Morrison said that every escapee had been ‘accounted for’, and that 19 asylum seekers had to be treated at the on-site clinic for ‘non life threatening’ injuries, with five remaining in the clinic on Monday.

Labor immigration spokesman Richard Marles said the government needed to ensure this kind of incident never happened again. He said ‘this is now the second serious incident which has occurred at the Manus Island detention facility since the Abbott government came to power.’