Refugee’s appeal fixed for hearing

By Alphonse Porau
A Supreme Court appeal filed by Kurdish-Iranian journalist and refugee Behrouz Boochani has been fixed for hearing in two weeks.
The matter returned before the chief justice on Friday for directions hearing and was adjourned to Dec 15, to be heard by a three-judge Supreme Court bench.
The appeal was filed over a single Supreme Court judge’s decision of Nov 7 that refused orders sought by Boochani through his lawyer Ben Lomai for the restoration of food, electricity and water supply to the closed detention centre on Manus.
The court refused the orders mainly because the Government, with the assistance of the Australian government, had provided alternative accommodation at three sites outside the Manus regional processing centre which also had essential services the refugees were seeking.
Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia gave seven days to Lomai to prepare, file and serve the application books to the lawyer representing the State and the PNG Immigration minister before the hearing.