Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has dismissed pleas from asylum seekers for a more compassionate approach, warning he is going to be just as tough as his predecessor Scott Morrison.
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In his first media conference since taking over the Immigration portfolio, Mr Dutton said it was his "absolute resolve" to ensure asylum seekers detained on Manus Island and in other facilities never arrive in Australia.
The warning comes amid escalating unrest on Manus Island and signs the stand-off between authorities and asylum seekers is increasing.
Refugee advocates say security guards on Manus Island on Friday afternoon began attacking asylum seekers protesting at the centre.
The Refugee Action Coalition said guards had begun attacking peaceful protests in the Oscar and Delta compounds on Friday afternoon.
The advocacy body said there was no warning before security guards began beating protesters.
"It is this kind of attack that the asylum seekers have feared all along," Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said.
Earlier on Friday, Mr Dutton said he wanted escalating unrest at the detention facility to be resolved peacefully.
He said there had been "a number of incidents of self-harm within Manus" and medical assistance had been offered to asylum seekers, but some had rejected that offer.
He said security providers were dealing with the situation on the ground.
Mr Dutton described the situation as very serious, saying he had been worried by developments over the past 24 hours and, in particular, by further reports of unrest and self harm on Friday morning.
He said asylum seekers refusing food and water or conveying other "non-compliant behaviour" were wrong to think it would change the outcome for their individual cases and they would not be settled in Australia.
"The situation is volatile there's no question about that.
"But I would say to those people that are stirring trouble, advocates who may be well-intentioned that they're advising in some way or ring-leaders in the minority within the centre who are advising some of the transferrees to change their behaviour or to misbehave, that information is dead wrong.
Mr Dutton warned asylum seekers who were "stirring trouble" that information from well-intentioned advocates or ring-leaders within the centre suggesting that they should misbehave was "dead wrong".
"It is causing trouble. It's causing unnecessary trouble," he said.
Mr Dutton warned a change in minister would not change the circumstances for asylum seekers who attempted to arrive by boat.
"The absolute resolve of me as the new minister and of the government is to make sure that for those transferrees, they will never arrive in Australia. They will never be settled in Australia," he said.
"That's the commitment we have given over a long period of time and that remains absolutely the case. So whilst people who might hold themselves out to be your friends are telling you that somehow the situation or the approach of the government has changed, they are not telling you the truth."
Refugee advocates said on Friday that nearly 500 asylum seekers were now involved in hunger strikes as they protest against a plan to move about 50 people determined to be refugees into temporary accommodation on the outskirts of Lorengau, the island's capital.
Mr Rintoul said between 30 and 40 asylum seekers had now stitched their lips together and four Pakistani asylum seekers had been taken to hospital after swallowing washing powder.
He said a further two Iranian asylum seekers had swallowed razor blades.
He estimated 300 people in the Mike compound at Manus were refusing food, as were a further 170 people in the Foxtrot compound.
Asylum seekers had earlier written a letter that says "We will die in PNG if Australian government resettle us in PNG."
Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said on Friday the government's response to the unrest was "woefully inadequate" and its secrecy about Manus Island and other detention facilities was "out of control".
"What we need is not harsh sound-bites from the Immigration Minister, but a little more heart and a little more compassion and empathy," Senator Hanson-Young said.
"I'm extremely concerned that the minister doesn't seem to be taking this situation as seriously as he should. Granted, he's new in this portfolio area, but we're talking about human lives."
