Christmas Island

Asylum seekers protest long processing delays on Christmas Island

"The mass protest of 350 Sri Lankan asylum seekers that has continued overnight in the Christmas Island detention centre can be directly traced back to the lowest political behaviour of all time by Prime Minister Kevin last year when he started a nasty period of political posturing, and when he started playing "refugee football" with the asylum seekers on the Oceanic Viking," WA human rights group Project SafeCom said.

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Australia’s refugee resettlement program from Indonesia grossly inadequate

Once again we are witnessing a public hysteria building about asylum seeker boat people seeking the safety of a new home in Australia. A new report ‘Behind Australian Doors: Examining the Conditions of Detention of Asylum Seekers in Indonesia’ (PDF) describes poor conditions across many Indonesian immigration detention facilities. Produced by lawyer and refugee advocate Jessie Taylor, the report highlights cramped conditions, grossly inadequate hygiene and sanitation, rodent infestations, inadequate and inappropriate food, polluted water, and a lack of medical care available to asylum seekers. Pitifully few people from these camps are selected for resettlement in Australia with an average of 50 people per year achieving resettlement.

Related: Behind Australian Doors Blog | Help bust the asylum seeker myths on Melbourne Cup day | Tell Kevin Rudd: respect refugees’ rights

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