Refugee claims attack by armed men at hotel

A GROUP of armed men allegedly attacked a hotel in Port Moresby where 17 refugees from the Manus Island detention centre were awaiting medical treatment.
Kurdish Iranian journalist, Behrouz Boochani, who is detained at the centre told Radio New Zealand that the attack happened on Sunday at about 11pm.
Boochani said four men armed with guns took two of the refugees and their guards hostages.
The security guards were employed by the company Wilson Security.
He said money was taken from the guards and one of the refugees was assaulted.
Boochani said the armed men fired their weapons at the hotel security staff before escaping in a vehicle.
The Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection yesterday said it was aware of the incident.
The department provides security and welfare services for Manus regional processing centre residents in Port Moresby for medical treatment.
A spokesperson said: “Two residents from the Manus regional processing centre were present at the time.
“One resident was assaulted. However, he was not seriously injured.
“Law enforcement is the responsibility of the PNG Government.”
Boochani said the refugees, who had been at the hotel for nearly two months, were traumatised by the attack.
Their request to be sent back to Manus Island was denied, he said.
The department spokesperson said the refugees would return to Manus when they have completed their treatment.