Refugee and author Behrouz Boochani has left Papua New Guinea, more than six years after being sent there as part of Australia’s offshore processing scheme, and says he has no plans to return.
Mr Boochani received a visitor’s visa to travel to Christchurch, New Zealand to speak at a literary event about his award-winning book, No Friend but the Mountains, and he is not ruling out claiming asylum in the country.
The former Manus Island detainee received temporary travel documents and permission from the PNG Immigration Department to travel to New Zealand for the event, which is run by Word Christchurch.
At Port Moresby’s international airport before boarding his plane, Mr Boochani said he was “happy he survived”. He told the ABC he was not planning to head back to PNG.
Mr Boochani was recently been accepted for resettlement in the United States and said he was investigating whether he could fly from New Zealand to the US, once the process was completed.
Many refugees have waited several months to travel to the US after being accepted.”This process is very slow and it’s not clear, we don’t know how long it will take,” Mr Boochani said.
“Right now in Port Moresby, there are many people who have been waiting to depart to the US.
“I really don’t trust in this process. I don’t trust in this system.”
He said he may apply for asylum in New Zealand.
“First, I would like to just spend some time as a free man, but after that I will look at that — is it possible that I go to the US from New Zealand? Or I should stay there?
“I don’t think about this a lot. What is important is that I leave, and it is the end of this chapter for me.
“The important thing for me is to start a new life, somewhere I feel safe.”
Another refugee from Manus Island, Abdul Aziz Muhamat, travelled to Switzerland to receive a human rights award. Mr Muhamat later applied for and was granted asylum in the country.
New Zealand has a long-standing offer to accept 150 refugees from Manus and Nauru, but it has not been accepted by the Australian Government, which has raised concerns it could create a “back door” to access Australia.
Mr Boochani said he was not concerned about the reaction from Australia if he claimed asylum in New Zealand.
“It’s better for them to [not get involved], to let me go. I think it’s better for them.”
He also said he felt he had a lot of support in New Zealand, especially from its universities. abcnews