FED:Detainees protest on Christmas Island

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2010
FED:Detainees protest on Christmas Island

(Eds: reissuing, inserting word "latest" in second par and correcting typo in third)



By Greg Roberts

MELBOURNE, Dec 17 AAP - Two separate protests involving more than 100 asylum seekers
erupted on Christmas Island on Friday, one of which has taken place outside the island's
detention centre.

A Department of Immigration spokesman said the latest protest was not a "break-out"

and detainees were moving back and forth between the centre and where the protest was
taking place at its entrance.

Detainees have held up signs and chanted "Help me, UN" on Friday in spontaneous protests
following Wednesday's disaster when a boat carrying asylum seekers, mostly from Iraq and
Iran, smashed into rocks on the island leaving at least 30 dead.

Survivors of the boat tragedy are taking part and have shown their injuries to media
located nearby and Department of Immigration officials were trying to persuade protesters
to return to the detention centre, which houses 2700 people, Sky News reported.

The department spokesman admitted detainees had jumped a fence to get to the entrance.

"They are not causing trouble and not going out on to the street, the detention service
providers are keeping an eye on them but it is peaceful and they are not going to push
it," he told AAP.

The protests had been triggered by Wednesday's disaster as well as conditions at the
centre, the Department spokesman said.

He said while the protesters were emotional there was no violence.

The first protest started at about 2pm (WST) in an area called Phosphate Hill, involving
about 50 people including some who jumped internal fences to join in, said the spokesman.

The second protest started after the first ended in another area nearby.

"The protesters raised concerns that not enough action was taken to rescue passengers
from the boat that sank," he told AAP.

"It was peaceful, there was no trouble but a lot of emotion, it was not surprising
they raised this issue which has received a lot of coverage and is tragic.

"The other concerns raised were about services such as food and air conditioning; there
was a power outage across the island so it affected residents in town but the clients
were not happy about the lack of air conditioning."

Australian Federal Police are present at the scene.

AAP gr/nb

KEYWORD: BOAT CAPSIZE RIOT WRAP (REISSUING)

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