For the second time in three weeks, a hotel in the Papua New Guinea capital of Port Moresby housing refugees has reportedly been attacked by locals.
A police landcruiser patrols the streets of the Papua New Guinea capital Port Moresby. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins
The Refugee Coalition said a group of locals armed with knives, metal poles and stones attacked the hotel at Four Mile which houses some refugees formerly held on Manus Island.
The coalition said late Saturday night, the group made repeated efforts to enter the hotel, which was guarded by two security guards.
One case worker from JDA, the contracted Port Moresby refugee service provider, came to the hotel but left after unsuccessfully attempting to talk to the attackers.
Despite repeated calls to other JDA case workers no others came to support the refugees at the hotel.
The police reportedly did not attend.
Refugees at Port Moresby airport 26 June, 2019. Photo: Ian Rintoul
Last month, locals attacked the refugees at the same hotel resulting in one refugee having his leg broken and several others sustaining injuries.
There are no reports of injuries from the latest attack.
About 180 others reside in hotels and rental accommodation across Port Moresby, where they were transferred last year.
They are all that remain in PNG of the 1500 or so men who were detained without trial on Manus Island by Australia in 2013.