Paul Farrell theguardian.com, Sunday 23 February 2014

Immigration minister concedes most events – including the death of one asylum seeker – took place inside compound’s perimeter

Scott Morrison: conflicting information. Photograph: Alan Porritt/AAP

Scott Morrison has contradicted his previous account of last week’s unrest at the Manus Island processing centre, now conceding the events – including the death of one asylum seeker – occurred largely within the perimeter compound.

The immigration minister released a statement late on Saturday night saying: “I wish to confirm that contrary to initial reports received, I have received further information that indicates that the majority of the riotous behaviour that occurred, and the response to that behaviour to restore order to the centre, took place within the perimeter of the centre.

“As advised on the afternoon of Tuesday February 18, I indicated that I had received further information which meant that I could no longer confirm that the deceased man sustained his injuries outside the centre. The further information I have now received casts further doubt on the initial advice that his injuries were sustained outside the centre.”

Protests at the Manus centre escalated last Sunday night, leading to violence involving guards, local contractors and asylum seekers. One asylum seeker was killed during the disturbance and several were seriously injured.

At media briefings during the week Morrison berated journalists for raising reports that contradicted his initial statements about the location of events. Morrison had emphasised the greater risk to asylum seekers who had left the perimeter of the facility and the limited guarantees of protection Australia could provide for those outside.

The revised account also casts serious doubt on the accuracy of information from the service provider G4S. In its statement on Tuesday G4S described claims that asylum seekers had breached the perimeter only to flee attacks by local residents who had entered the compound as “unfounded.”

“A number of transferees were injured after they breached the perimeter fence and the matter became a law enforcement issue for PNG authorities.”

In a further remarkable development, G4S appeared to have been unaware of Morrison’s statement. A G4S spokesman asked Guardian Australia to forward a copy to the company on Sunday morning. G4S said it was preparing a statement in response to Morrison’s new remarks.

The opposition immigration spokesman, Richard Marles, said Morrison appeared to have no understanding of the facts on Manus.

“Earlier in the week Scott Morrison did not speak on advice, he spoke personally and emphatically when he gave an assurance that the tragic events that did so last week occurred outside the Manus Island dentition facility,” Marles said.

“This is a man who has no idea of what the facts are. This is a man who is not in charge of the Manus Island detention facility and it raises enormous questions about his ability to manage this issue.

“He now needs to hold himself accountable to the Australian people … this goes to the safety that is being provided to asylum seekers within an Australian-run detention facility.”

The Greens leader, Christine Milne, called on Tony Abbott to sack Morrison over his handling of the situation.

“The prime minister must sack the minister and close his cruel refugee prisons immediately,” she said.

“Tony Abbott must take personal responsibility for the failure of the morally bankrupt and cruel offshore processing regime that was started by Labor and embraced by his government.

“Tony Abbott had a direct line of duty of care to Reza Berati and he is now dead. He must take personal responsibility. Blaming the victims of this tragedy is cowardice.”

The Labor frontbencher and former immigration minister Chris Bowen said on Sunday the developments were “deeply concerning”.

“We’ve had a death, which is a tragedy, and we’ve got a minister who frankly treats the public, the parliament and the media with contempt and drip-feeds out information – and now we see that information is wrong as often as it is right,” Bowen told the ABC on Sunday.

“If he thinks a written statement at 9 o’clock on a Saturday night is being transparent then he is sadly mistaken. He should explain not only what went on here but also when he was told that the information he had previously released was wrong.”

Bowen said Morrison was “very certain of his facts last week”.

“He was lecturing the Australian people and journalists and the shadow minister and everybody to be clear of their facts. Now we know he was the one that was wrong and he’s got a lot of explaining to do.”

Bowen said the Manus Island centre was an important part of Australia’s immigration policies but Morrison must ensure it was being run in a way that did “not unduly endanger human life”.

At a media conference about the unrest on Tuesday, Morrison said: “The deceased person involved a head injury and that person passed away on transfer to the Lorengau Hospital. The injury was sustained outside the centre.”

On Friday Morrison identified the dead asylum seeker as Reza Berati, a 23-year-old from Iran. Berati had arrived in Australia on 24 July, 2013, and was sent to Manus Island.

It is not yet clear whether the PNG coroner will also conduct an inquiry into Berati’s death. Coronial inquests must be approved by the PNG National Executive Council. It has yet to issue any approval in Berati’s case.

Morrison initially appeared certain about the accuracy of the information he was receiving about the riots, but he has gradually retreated from his original statement.

In Tuesday’s media conference he emphasised the limited protection Australia could offer asylum seekers who had escaped the perimeter compound.

“If people chose to remove themselves from that centre then they are obviously putting themselves at a place of much greater risk and in an environment like that where there is violent behaviour on the part of those who are breaching the perimeter fence and going out of the centre then this is a disorderly environment in which there is always great risk.”

In his second media conference he said he had received “conflicting reports” about the incident and the location of the asylum seeker who was killed.

“Where physically this took place based on the information I have received this afternoon, that is a matter where there are some conflicting reports.”

A review has been commissioned into the incidents at Manus Island that will examine the conduct of service providers and people found to be within the compound. An investigation by Papua New Guinea authorities is also under way.

 

Scott Morrison contradicts first account of Manus Island unrest | World news | theguardian.com