Desperate faces of children peer through the barbed wire. Security is so tight we cannot speak to the inmates, but confidential faxes from behind the wire suggest disturbing conditions: "The heat is scorching, the water is filthy, we sleep here among snakes and mice", describes one inmate. 364 asylum seekers, denied access to Australia are locked away in this Navy base -now turned into the dumping ground for what many argue is an Australian problem. But for the sake of expediency, the Australian Government may have jeopardised Papua New Guinea's future. After years of corruption and economic turmoil, prime minister Mekere Mourata is widely seen as Papua New Guinea's last hope for stability. By strong arming him into taking the asylum seekers, Australia may have consigned him to history. Human rights lawyer, Patrick Harrickne is taking the PNG government to court for breaking sections of the constitution related to unlawful detention. Within the PNG government, the deal has caused havoc. According to PNG foreign minister, John Pundari, the Australians insisted the deal to take 1000 more asylum seekers was ratified without being put to the Cabinet - a clear breach of protocol. "As a sovereign country, I thought we would have been given enough time to consider the issue properly." John Howard's Pacific solution may have stopped the flow of boat people --but it's Papua New Guinea who will pay the political price.

Produced by ABC Australia