Several years ago, researching a story on land grabbing (tree stealing) near Kiunga on the PNG border, I ran into a PNG nurse and nun who was climbing into a dinghy to take a trip down the Fly River. She told me she was taking vaccines to children in the refugee camps. “What refugee camps?” … Continue reading
Category Archives: Asylum Seekers
From Manus to Moresby: Story for The Guardian on Bomana detention centre
During a brief but busy trip to PNG in October, I had the privilege to spend a little time with Behrouz Boochani, the Iranian-Kurdish journalist and refugee whose powerful advocacy has earned him international recognition. (This was shortly before he finally left PNG and flew to New Zealand, and his next chapter.) Behrouz acted as … Continue reading
The Monthly: Manus in the balance
This is my essay of a journey to another Manus Island. The one that fascinated legendary anthropologist Margaret Mead for 50 years. The one lost in the furore of Australia’s controversial ‘PNG Solution’, but forever changed by it. Now unlocked by The Monthly, so you can view it here. Continue reading