Kurdish-Iranian refugee Behrouz Boochani has hit back at "shameful" comments by Labor Senator Kirstina Keneally after she welcomed the news he had arrived in New Zealand following six years on Manus Island.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Boochani pointed out a Labor government sent him to Manus in 2013 after the opposition home affairs spokesperson on Friday said the party welcomed his departure from Papua New Guinea.
He described Senator Keneally's statement as "rediclilius (sic) and unacceptable".
"You exiled me to Manus and you have supported this exile policy for years. I don't need you to welcome resttlement (sic) for me in a third country," the author and journalist tweeted.
"I'm in a third country now and dont need you."
He urged the senator to do something for the refugees who remain in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
"In my view anyone who supports this barbaric policy is criminal and terrorist. Such a shameful statement by Labor Party," he tweeted.
He arrived in Auckland on Thursday night after being invited to speak at a writers' festival, ending his long detention in Australia's offshore processing system.
In a statement, Senator Keneally blamed Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton for Mr Boochani's six years on Manus.
"We look forward for Mr Boochani having the opportunity to permanently resettle in a third country as soon as possible, wherever that may be," she said on Friday.
"Refugees have been languishing in indefinite detention for six years because of Peter Dutton's incompetence to negotiate practical and durable third-country resettlement options."
Australian Associated Press
