Refugee advocates said about half of the inmates on Christmas Island are criminals expecting to be deported, while half are asylum seekers waiting to be accepted into Australia as refugees.
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Australian officials battled to contain unrest at a remote detention centre for asylum seekers in the Indian Ocean, with protesters lighting a series of small fires and guards withdrawing from the compound.
Seven Christmas Island detention centre detainees have been flown off the island, after riots rocked the prison this week.
It is understood asylum seekers could not have mobile phones in the centre but those facing deportation after having their visas cancelled on character grounds could.
Australian opposition politicians are calling for a review of the conditions at the detention center.
“A full survey of damage to the centre is yet to be completed, but a few common areas appear to be severely damaged”, the department statement said. He also confirmed that more detainees who have been a part of the riot will be moved from the island.
But Mr Dutton defended the use of “reasonable” force by federal police, saying they responded appropriately including to an an inmate said to have had a chainsaw.
IMMIGRATION Minister Peter Dutton says Australia will happily pay air fares of New Zealanders in immigration detention so they can return home while their appeals are heard.
His body was reportedly found at the base of a cliff.
Under its “Pacific Solution” started in 2001, the Australian government locks up refugees both on the mainland and far from its shores, including on Christmas Island, Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island and on the island nation of Nauru.
The Government claims it has a duty to stop asylum seekers crossing the unsafe seas to Australia, which it says is controlled by criminal gangs.
“They have done a few significant damage”, Dutton said.
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Five detainees were slightly injured in the operation and the Immigration Department states calm has been restored, however the damage bill is mounting from the initial $1 million estimate. “If people want to think that this is the sort of damage that’s been committed by somebody that’s been involved in shoplifting and minor traffic offences, it just shows how wrong they are”.
