Water, power supply to largest compound in PNG detention centre cut off

Security fences surround buildings inside the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea, February 11, 2017. Behrouz Boochani/Handout via REUTERS

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Water and power supplies were cut off on Monday at the largest compound at an Australian-run camp for asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea, detainees said, as officials tried to force them to move to a nearby transit centre.

Australia wants to close its controversial detention centre, which has drawn sharp criticism from the United Nations and domestic and international human rights groups, on Papua New Guinea's remote Manus Island on Oct. 31.