Unrest breaks out at Australian migrant detention center

[micmichd]

I read something about prostitution in exchange for drugs in a detention camp. Good idea, German Nazis did the same sometimes. Rape the witnesses before you get rid of them.

[jagfx]

I would hardly call them concentration camps. The conditions aren't ideal mainly due to the heat and humidity and lack of aircons in parts of the centres. Plus there is the uncertainty of the clients' future, especially now that some had been held for over two years. They are technically called Processing Centres, but essentially are a prison. The clients are not permitted to leave unless accompanied by security etc, ie excursions or medical treatment in town etc. They all get three full meals a day and can generally eat as much as they like (the wastage is unbelievable), they have access to basic gyms and activities, including English & cultural classes. Some have access to the the internet via a computer room and also phones. There are basic canteen type services also. When I was there, there was no actual roll call or muster, basically just kept track of them when they produced their photo ID at meal times. If they didn't show up for 3x meals in a row, then Security had to find out why as there may be a problem ie hunger strike, sick or just missing. I always thought they were doing a Hogan's Heroes on us at times, slipping in and out of different compounds. Concentration camp? Definitely not. Some place I'd liked to be locked up? Definitely not.

I was with G4S, who have a pretty shoddy record the world over. Google it. They have a huge presence in PNG. There were a few issues at the Centre prior to the riots, and as Transfield and Wilson already had the contract at Nauru, they were always in the running to take over from G4S. Management on the ground for both companies is basically ex-Army. Being offshore, the guards employed don't need to have the formal qualifications of Australian based Security Guards (licences etc). G4S had a pretty good mix of ex-Military, ex-Police and ex-Corrections Officers, guards that knew how to deal with people as had plenty of experience in their past jobs. There was also a fair quantity of the guards that were a tad more mature at 40+. When Wilson came in, they did offer all G4S guards a chance to apply for a position with them, where basically none of the older guys were successful unless you had very specific skills they needed. On seeing the Wilson guards, they were all young, big ex-Army, with most of them just recently returned from the Middle East. Don't get me wrong, most of them are good guys, but it was obvious how they were loading up their staff. What probably peeved me more than anything was the number of Kiwis (actual living in NZ) that were employed over Aussies considering it is an Aussie run centre.

And regarding the issues where Expat staff are immediately sent home if there is a problem. That's always going to happen. To be honest, they are not going to let any expat face a PNG court unless it is an extremely serious matter, where is a person is formally extradited back to PNG. Same use to happen when I was a copper in the Northern Territory working on Aboriginal Communities, where if a copper or any white person did anything serious enough to upset the locals, then that person was shipped out immediately to avoid payback. This was common, especially for motor vehicle accidents and the like. What I saw during the Feb 2014 riots was enough to convince me that the locals can be very native and barbaric when they choose to be, giving me the distinct impression that we weren't even that safe there. Cheers.