AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2010
FED: Asylum seeker policy unlikely to stop boats, advocates say
Eds: Adds DIAC response to claims of self-harm incident
By Andrea Hayward
CHRISTMAS ISLAND, April 11 AAP - Christmas Island is the destination on the minds of
thousands of would-be asylum seekers, and changes to the federal government's policy will
be unlikely to stop the boatloads arriving, a refugee advocate says.
The federal government on Friday announced it would immediately suspend the processing
of asylum seekers from Sri Lanka for three months and from Afghanistan for six months.
Extra Australian Federal Police officers have been sent to the island in case of rising
tensions within the detention facilities.
Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said there was a general understanding
among the detainees the new policy did not apply to them, but many were extremely anxious
and confused at the government's announcement.
For those asylum seekers in Indonesia and Malaysia, it was unlikely the policy changes
would be a deterrent, Mr Rintoul said.
"There's no indication that it's going to stop people," Mr Rintoul said.
"Getting to Christmas Island and waiting three months or six months is nothing compared
to sitting in Indonesia for three months or six months, knowing there is nothing at the
other end.
"Sooner or later the government is going to be forced to deal with those asylum claims."
The number of asylum seekers on the island has reached 2162.
Four asylum seekers from a boat that arrived in June had started a hunger strike unrelated
to the new policy, Mr Rintoul said.
Mr Rintoul said another man from the same boat tried to hang himself with a bedsheet
at the detention facility earlier this week.
Mr Rintoul said he had been told the man had sustained severe brain damage before being
found and cut down by another detainee.
A spokesperson for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) rejected Mr
Rintoul's claim that the man had suffered a serious injury.
Christmas Island shire president Gordon Thomson said he did not know whether the policy
would dissuade possible asylum seekers but added that the facility was already struggling
to cope with a tripling of the population since it was opened.
"If people see the stop sign and they obey it and don't come then there will be over
time an emptying of the detention centre here, and those claims that are being processed
will come to a conclusion ..." Mr Thomson said.
"The second possibility is that they won't see the stop sign, and they will continue
to come and the place will get fuller and more congested, and that's very, very undesirable.
"The place is at capacity. There are problems with staffing, not enough staff here
to take care of the people in the detention centre."
The island has a population of 1400 and is outnumbered by the 2000-plus detainees and
the 500 associated support staff.
Rents had skyrocketed as "greedy landlords" lease their properties to government organisations
and companies servicing the detention facilities for as much as $1500 a week, Mr Thomson
said.
The island's sewage treatment facility was unable to cope, resulting in the discharge
of raw effluent into the island's pristine waters, he said.
While the federal government has pledged millions to fix the infrastructure issues,
"these things take time", Mr Thomson said.
Since the government's announcement three boatloads of asylum seekers have been intercepted.
The journey of the asylum seekers would have started before the announcement was made.
AAP ah/cdh/jhp/mn/jl/cdh
KEYWORD: BOAT CHRISTMAS UPDATE
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