Statement from Republic of Nauru - Re: letters containing alleged threats against refugees
The priority of the
Government of Nauru is implementing a successful refugee
resettlement program. Furthermore our police force is highly
capable of handling law and order issues that arise. Nauruan police
are currently investigating letters left at various places that
contain threatening language. We do not believe there is any
increased risk to refugees on the
island.
There continues to be
a campaign of misinformation by refugee groups both outside and
within Nauru, backed by some sections of the media. These people
clearly have a political agenda and they are willing to do and say
anything to achieve it.
The letters in
question are unsigned and at this stage we have no evidence to
suggest that they are genuine or have been authored by any Nauruan
group or individual. We currently cannot confirm if these were
authored by a Nauruan, a refugee, refugee advocates or any other
party who seeks to jeopardise the resettlement program. We call on
the Australian and New Zealand media to be responsible and report
the facts without the sensationalism and without an agenda. It
should be noted that some previous reports of alleged violence
reported by media have proven
inaccurate.
This alleged letter is
full of inaccuracies, leading our police to question its origin.
For the record, refugees are not "taking all job opportunities"
however we are pleased to report that job opportunities are open to
refugees as the nation experiences very low
unemployment.
Police are seeking
local help to find those responsible. Our country has embraced our
guests with open arms and they can feel very safe here. Many have
commented how safe they feel on Nauru compared to countries they
have left. We will provide more information on these letters as it
becomes available.