The embassy of Pakistan in Australia has agreed to arrange for the body of a Pakistani refugee who drowned this week in Papua New Guinea to be repatriated.
Hundreds gather for memorial service for Pakistani refugee who drowned. Photo: Refugee Action Coalition
Kamil Hussain drowned at a swimming area on Manus Island, where Australia has an asylum seeker processing centre, on Tuesday.
Papua New Guinea's immigration department had said it would not repatriate Mr Hussain's body, and that he would instead be buried on Manus on Friday.
But after a meeting on Friday morning, PNG authorities relented and gave the refugees on Manus one week to arrange to send Mr Hussain's body back to his family Pakistan.
PNG authorities also said neither they nor Australian authorities would take any responsibility for sending the man's body back to Pakistan.
But in a letter, the Pakistan embassy said it would arrange for Mr Hussain's body to be returned.
The embassy also notified PNG immigration that it would cover the costs associated with the repatriation and any costs associated with maintaining the body on Manus Island.
An Australian refugee advocate, Ian Rintoul, said the embassy's offer came as a huge relief for refugees he had spoken to on Manus Island who were unsure how they would arrange for the repatriation.
Mr Rintoul said no Australian immigration official had spoken to the refugees on Manus, despite the Australian government's responsibility for those transferred and detained on Manus.
The details of the transport of Mr Hussein's body is still to be determined, but preliminary arrangements for the transport of his body to Port Moresby had already been made.
"It is Australia's shame that it did nothing to give the respect he deserved and provide the proper help for his body to be returned to his family. It was mean-spirited. It was despicable," he said in a statement.
Hundreds gather for memorial service for Pakistani refugee who drowned. Photo: Refugee Action Coalition