An asylum seeker who arrived in Canada from an Australian immigration camp in Papua New Guinea is speaking out about the abysmal conditions he endured.
“When I was leaving Manus Island, it was not good,” Amir Taghinia told CTV News Channel from Vancouver on Saturday. “It was a situation that you wouldn’t want to put any human being in.”
Taghinia, who was born in Iran, spent more than four years in the Manus Island camp after trying to reach Australia by boat with a group of asylum seekers. He finally managed to leave Papua New Guinea on Oct. 31 thanks to Canada’s privately sponsored refugee program.
Australia pays Papua New Guinea, its closest neighbour, and the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru to hold the more than 2,000 African, Middle Eastern and Asian asylum seekers who have tried to reach Australia by boat since mid-2013.
Following a three-week standoff, security personnel in Papua New Guinea finally managed to shutter the remote immigration camp on Thursday, relocating nearly 400 men who had holed up in the facility without power, running water or food supplies after it was officially closed last month.
Taghinia describes the Manus Island camp in Papua New Guinea as “overcrowded” and “unhygienic.”
“There is not a proper medical service or facilities,” he added. “People are getting assaulted and insulted by the local people and even Australian authorities every single day. They are going through lots of hardship.”
Former U.S. President Barack Obama had agreed to resettle 1,250 of these people in a deal that has been viciously criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump. To date, only a few dozen have arrived in the U.S.
New Zealand, moreover, has also agreed to take 150 of these asylum seekers -- an offer that Australia so far has refused.
“The current Australian government needs these people to use them as human shields for their coming election,” Taghinia said. He also thinks the U.S. deal “is just a game to keep people quiet.”
“If they want to get people resettled, why not accept New Zealand?” he said.
Instead, since the Manus Island camp closed, Australia has constructed new homes for the asylum seekers in the nearby town of Lorengau.
“Australia is spending millions of dollars of the Australian taxpayers to just keep this system going and going,” Taghinia said. “People, you know, they are in limbo and there is no future for them.”
Taghinia considers himself lucky.
“It was a miracle that I am in Canada now,” he said. “I just appreciate everything: I appreciate the Canadian government, I appreciate the Canadian people for having me in their country and I’m very happy.”
He also promises to not take his situation for granted.
“I would love to say that I will try my best to do the best contribution to this country as I can to show my appreciation to these people and the government,” he said.
With files from The Associated Press
