Australia asylum seeker protest at Manus Island escalates

A number of asylum seekers are reported to have barricaded themselves inside a compound at the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea (PNG) as part of a growing protest.

Many of the centre's inhabitants have been held there for more than 18 months. Some detainees are calling for Australia to hand them over to the United Nations if it is unwilling to accept them.

Australia sends all asylum seekers arriving by boat to offshore camps in PNG and the Pacific territory of Nauru for detention and processing.

The BBC's Jon Donnison says the protests are believed to have been going on for about a week.