The United Nations refugee agency has expressed alarm at reports that Papua New Guinea has begun forced deportations from Australia's offshore detention centre on Manus Island.
An attempt to remove two Nepalese asylum seekers from the island was made early on Thursday morning. It is understood one of the men was awaiting deportation, while the other managed to escape and has now disappeared.
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Audit slams Immigration Department over Nauru, Manus contracts
'Fallen well short' of standards: An audit into Nauru and Manus Island contracts has slammed the Immigration Department. Vision courtesy ABC.
While the claims for refugee status by both men had been rejected, the UNHCR has repeatedly advised immigration authorities in PNG and Australia that a number of decisions to refuse protection may have been erroneous.
"UNHCR has particularly voiced its concerns that asylum-seekers may not have been able to engage in this process for a range of valid reasons, and particularly given serious mental health concerns," Catherine Stubberfield, the agency's regional external relations officer said.
"Any deportations prior to a thorough, appropriate review would run a very real risk of returning people to danger."
Refugees at the centre say the move is part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate those with negative assessments to voluntarily return to their countries of origin.
Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian refugee and journalist on Manus Island, said the detention centre was in a "big shock" and after local police and immigration officials came for the two men at about 4am on Thursday.
"Immigration have started to hand out negative status papers to asylum seekers. Too many officers were with them, they were knocking on doors to wake people and tell them: 'Go back to your country'," Mr Boochani said.
According to the latest monthly update by Operation Sovereign Borders, 689 refugees have been given a positive final determination on Manus island, while 225 asylum seekers have been given a negative final determination. The vast majority have been on Manus for more than three years.
Attorney-General George Brandis told Parliament those being deported were asylum seekers whose claims had been processed and rejected, and therefore PNG had every right under international law to return them to their country of origin.
"That is what the New Guinean authorities are doing," he said.
It came after Greens immigration spokesman Nick McKim said the forced deportations had "trashed the human rights of detainees who remain Australia's moral and legal responsibility".
Police and private security guards had "frog-marched" the asylum seekers from the facility "under the cover of darkness", Senator McKim said.
PNG authorities have offered $20,000 to rejected asylum seekers who return to their home country voluntarily, and it is understood five Nepalese men took up the offer last week.
The Australian and PNG governments must also deal with those asylum seekers from Iran - the largest contingent - who will not be accepted by Iran unless they return voluntarily.