Officials interview refugees

By CHARLES MOI
ELEVEN refugees at the regional processing centre in Manus were yesterday interviewed by officers from the Resettlement Support Centre, according to a refugee.
The support centre was contracted by the United States Department of Homeland Security to assist refugees seeking permanent resettlement in the United States.
Kurdish Iranian journalist detained in Manus Behrouz Boochani, pictured, told The National that the refugees were interviewed for about four hours at the regional processing centre.
Boochani said following their interviews, the refugees were given a code to track the progress of their applications via the support centre’s website.
“They (Resettlement Support Centre) did not mention when they will have the next interview, which will be the last one,” he said.
Boochani said asylum seekers at the processing centre were sceptical about the resettlement deal between Australia and the US secured during former president Barack Obama’s tenure.
“People with negative status are worried about the future,” Boochani said.
“It’s natural that they are worried while their friends are being processed for (resettlement in the) US.”
Boochani had been processed as a refugee with a positive status.
He also said there had not been any more deportations since the departure of a detainee from Nepal  on Feb 9.
On April 26 last year, the Supreme Court ruled that detention of asylum seekers at the regional processing centre on Manus was unconstitutional.