An Indian asylum seeker who reportedly set himself on fire on a Manus Island detention facility on Friday was “fed up” over not being given medical treatment.
31-year-old Ravinder Singh – from Punjab in north India- suffered burns to his face and hand when he locked himself in his room and set it on fire. Security staff and detainees at the Hillside Compound had to break open the door in order to rescue Mr Singh.
He is currently receiving treatment at a Port Moresby hospital.
His friend, Manjit Singh who is also detained at the same facility told SBS Punjabi that Mr Singh had been in pain for many months.
“He kept asking for medical treatment for his back and shoulder pain for four… five months now but they would just keep giving him painkillers and not proper treatment,” Manjit said.
“They don’t have proper medical facilities here and he [Ravinder Singh] needed an MRI but they would just do an X-ray and say there’s nothing. He even struggled to walk," he said.
Manjit Singh says he and other detainees helped the staff to break open the door of Mr Singh's room to save him.
Ravinder Singh whose claim for asylum has been rejected nearly two years ago faces charges of arson and attempted suicide, news agency AFP reported.
Source: Refugee Action Coalition
Police commander of the Manus Province, David Yapu told AFP that Mr Singh had been questioned about the incident and they would wait for his return from Port Moresby.
"We will wait for his return and lay charges," he said.
Manjit told SBS Punjabi that Mr Singh had spoken to him a few times from the Port Moresby hospital ICU.
“He told me he was in a lot of pain and couldn’t eat anything. He said he throws up every time he tries to have food.”
According to the Refugee Action Coalition, there have been nearly 100 cases of self-harm on Manus Island, involving more than 62 asylum seekers and refugees.
Spokesman Ian Rintoul said while Canberra was busy debating whether to repeal the Medevac Bill, the situation on Manus was spinning "out of control”.
“Rather than point the finger at ‘advocate doctors’, he (Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton) should be getting those who need help off Manus and Nauru.
"The shocking toll of offshore detention grows worse day by day."
Mr Singh arrived at Christmas Island by sea in July 2013 and was then moved to Manus. He has been there since then, including the time of detainee unrest in 2017 after the Australian Government decided to shut down the detention facility.
