Australia to close refugee detention centre on Manus Island

Australia and Papua New Guinea have agreed to close a controversial Australian-funded asylum seeker detention centre on Manus Island, although the ultimate fate of 800 refugees held in the camp remained unclear.

Under Australian law, anyone intercepted trying to reach the country by boat is sent for processing to camps on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru or to Manus Island off Papua New Guinea.

They are never eligible to be resettled in Australia. Some asylumseekers have spent years in the camps, which have been criticised by the UN and human rights groups, with numerous reports of abuse and self-harm among detainees, including children.