police, asylum seekers clash at christmas isla

NICK BUTTERLY and ANDREW TILLETT, The West Australian March 14, 2011, 9:35 am



Authorities on Christmas Island are on high alert this morning following another incident at one of the territory�s biggest detention camps overnight.

Locals on the island say there was a clash between the Australian Federal Police and asylum seekers at the North West Point camp and tensions remain high.

AFP used tear gas to quell the protest among detainees. One detainee suffered a broken leg in the incident, which occurred overnight, Federal Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said today.

�I do know the situation has changed from being a being a very peaceful protest to something else,� a well placed islander told The West Australian this morning.

The AFP sent an extra 70 officers to the island over the weekend and it is understood the Government is now considering sending yet more reinforcements.

It is thought about 100 asylum seekers were running free on the island last night following a series of mass break outs from the North West Point camp.

The Immigration Department was yesterday unable to give an exact figure on how many were free, saying that only the situation remained �very fluid�.

Locals say the asylum seekers have been able to come and go from the camps as they please, and a large group marched the 15km from North West Point into the main Christmas Island settlement to demand their claims for refugee visas be expedited.

Federal Immigration Minister Chris Bowen is due to hold a press conference about the situation on Christmas Island later today.

Many locals are becoming increasingly annoyed that the asylum seekers are being allowed to roam the island as they please. They said yesterday that the AFP appeared reluctant to force the escapees back into their camp.

Refugee advocate Ian Rintoul, who has been in contact with detainees who broke out, told The West Australian this morning many of the asylum seekers had returned to the camp during the night to shelter from heavy rain.

He said the asylum seekers had decided to return the camp because they felt they had made their point.
Mr Rintoul said about 20 detainees had been segregated in the camp�s "red compound". One of the people involved in the breakout told him that two Afghans had been handcuffed.