Weather delays arrival

 BAD weather yesterday delayed the first group of asylum seekers being shipped to Papua New Guinea under Australia’s tough new border policy.

The chief executive of Manus Island’s only hospital, Dr Otto Numan, told AAP the group was due to land after 7am local time but was understood to have been delayed.

Australian immigration was noncommittal on when the trip might be rescheduled.

This group, believed to be coming from Australia, will be the first arrivals since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his PNG counterpart, Peter O’Neill, agreed to expand asylum-seeker processing two weeks ago.

Numan said he was told by PNG immigration officials, and he would be at the airport to check the manifest to make sure they were who they were.

He added they had already been seen by medical experts.

Australia last week flew out more than 100 asylum seekers in preparation for the expanded intake.

Since Friday, industrial kitchens and marquees capable of sleeping up to 30 people have been flown to Manus on military C-130 aircraft

Meanwhile, Big Pond news reported that about 1,500 asylum seekers have arrived aboard 18 boats since the Rudd government announced its tough new border policy to resettle them in PNG.

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare detailed the latest boat arrival yesterday.

HMAS Maryborough helped 102 passengers and two crew members aboard a suspected asylum seeker boat north of Christmas Island on Tuesday.

They have been transferred to Christmas Island for health checks.

The Australian government announced on July 19 plans to process asylum seekers and resettle refugees in PNG.

A spokesman for Clare said that so far 1,452 asylum seekers would be subject to the new arrangements.