Footage has emerged showing ongoing construction on November 26 at a facility that refugees from the former Manus Island detention centre were forcibly taken to.
The Australian government organised three new sites for the men. A facility for people who don’t have refugee status was organised at Hillside Haus, while refugees could stay at the East Lorengau Refugee Transit Centre or, as this video shows, West Lorengau Haus.
The video was taken by refugee Ezathullah Kakar, who was transported to the new accommodation on November 24 following a violent standof. It shows workers attending to unfinished site with concrete still being laid out, squalid bathrooms, and demountables surrounded by construction equipment. Kakar said the buildings did not have the power to run air conditioning.
The footage contradicts claims repeatedly asserted by the Australian Department of Immigration that the facilities were operational, with Minister Peter Dutton dismissing reports from media and independent observers who said the structures were uninhabitable.
Storyful received footage from West Lorengau Haus on November 17 showing ongoing construction, indicating the men in the Manus Island compound were moved ahead of the facility being completed. Credit: Ezatullah Kakar via Storyful
