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    Australia agrees to close controversial refugee camp

    Australia and Papua New Guinea said on Wednesday they had agreed to close a controversial Australianfunded asylum seeker detention centre on Manus Island, but gave no timeline, leaving the fate of 800 refugees held in the camp unclear.

    Australia agrees to close controversial refugee camp
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    File photo of the refugees in Australia

    Sydney

    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 asylum seekers have spent years in the camps, which have been criticised by the UN and human rights groups, with reports of abuse and self-harm among detainees, including children. The announcement came after a daily published leaked documents detailing more than 2,000 incidents of sexual abuse, assault and attempted self-harm reported over two years at the Nauru detention centre.

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