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Refugee finds 'human teeth' in meal in detention centre off Australia

Manus Island has been used by Australian authorities intermittently since 2001

Rose Troup Buchanan
Tuesday 03 November 2015 15:53 GMT
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Criticism has been leveled at Manus Island authorities before
Criticism has been leveled at Manus Island authorities before (Getty)

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An asylum seeker found human teeth in their meal in the Manus Island detention centre, off the Australian coast.

The two human teeth, reportedly found and photographed by an unidentified refugee held at the centre, were in the lunch served at lunchtime on Saturday.

An anonymous man, held at the same facility but who had not seen the teeth himself, told the Guardian Australia: “This is the food they give us, always like this, always disgusting.”

“They treat us like animals, worse than animals.”

Manus Island, on Papua New Guinea, has been used intermittently by Australian authorities since 2001 as an off-shore location to process migrants.

Although the claim cannot be independent verified by The Independent, the Guardian claimed to have spoken to two employees at the detention centre who confirmed “people are talking about it.”

In a statement, Australia’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection told The Independent: "The Service Provider has investigated the reports that human teeth were found in a meal served at the Manus RPC and informed the Department that no evidence was found to support these claims."

They added the contract also required the firm to meet certain requirements regarding "the quality, quantity, cultural appropriateness and variety of food to be provided to transferees."

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