Indian asylum seeker faces charges over attempted suicide

AFP  |  Port Moresby 

An Indian man who tried to kill himself by setting fire to his room at a in faces charges of arson and attempted suicide, police have said.

told AFP late Sunday that Singh -- who sustained burns to his face and right hand -- had been questioned and would be charged, but was evacuated to for medical treatment.

"We will wait for his return and lay charges," Yapu said, indicating authorities may instead charge Singh in the capital.

Singh is one of roughly 500 refugees and asylum seekers stuck in Papua New Guinea, having been stopped from reaching

Under hardline policies, turns back anyone trying to arrive in the country by sea -- including refugees fleeing wars and unrest as far afield as and Iranian Kurdistan.

The refugees and asylum seekers on had initially been held at an Australian detention centre, but are now detained in camps run by a as they await resettlement.

As they are blocked from resettling in Australia, tries to transfer them to third such as the

But the process is slow, leaving some to languish in the camps for years.

AFP visited the facilities last year, finding difficult conditions and widespread accounts of depression.

The re-election of Australia's conservative government has prompted a rash of suicide attempts, as people inside the camps try to draw attention to their plight.

Shortly after Friday's incident, the said the matter was being dealt with by Papua New Guinean authorities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Mon, June 24 2019. 12:45 IST