Papua New Guinea
On this remote isle, an icon of the Virgin Mary has endured the flames of war
After a devastating fire, people in Bougainville found hope and strength from a statue of the Virgin Mary that survived the flames. It not only represents a miracle, but serves as an icon for the island’s struggle for independence.
A group of Western nations are planning to bulk up their Pacific presence to counter China
The battle for influence in the sparsely populated Pacific matters because each of the tiny island states has a vote at international forums like the United Nations, and they also control vast swathes of resource-rich ocean.
Papua New Guinea police move to evict refugees from Australia’s shuttered detention center on Manus
Australia forces all would-be asylum-seekers into camps on two islands. Police in Manus, where one of the camps is located, removed dozens of refugees in an effort to end a stand-off that has drawn global attention to Canberra’s tough asylum-seeker policies.
Critics warn of a humanitarian crisis for 600 asylum-seekers in an offshore Australian detention camp
About 600 asylum-seekers in an Australian offshore detention camp on Papua New Guinea are hunkering down and refusing to leave. The power has been cut off, there’s no air conditioning and food is running out.
For the asylum-seekers in one of Australia’s controversial offshore detention camps, there’s good news and bad news
The US agreed to resettle refugees stuck in an Australian-run offshore detention facility. But with the camp slated to be shut down in late October, not a single refugee has been approved.