Asylum-seekers get 24-hour reprieve from camp eviction

SYDNEY: Papua New Guinea will delay by at least 24 hours a plan to forcibly evict hundreds of men from an abandoned Australian detention centre, three asylum seekers said on Saturday.

Hundreds of men have barricaded themselves into the Manus island centre for more than 11 days without regular food or water, defying closure bids by Australia and Papua New Guinea in what the United Nations calls a "looming humanitarian crisis".

Rejecting UN calls to restore utilities to the camp, Papua New Guinea this week said it would "apprehend" those responsible for the stand-off when it forcibly evicted the men on Saturday.