Australian detention camp in flames again

Australia's human rights watchdog is investigating the treatment of children in detention camps

By Grant Holloway
CNN

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Australia's notorious Woomera detention center is in flames again with detainees destroying or damaging 13 buildings in the remote complex in an overnight riot.

At one stage safety fears prompted the evacuation of all staff from the center which imprisons around 950 illegal immigrants in a desert town in South Australia.

The latest incident is the seventh such disturbance at Woomera since November 20.

Among the destroyed buildings last night were three new purpose-built accommodation facilities, a dining area and a computing facility, the Department of Immigration said in a statement.

Initial estimates of the damage caused by the fires are expected to be many hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While no injuries to detainees were reported, 15 security officers required treatment for smoke inhalation.

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Australian federal and state police are now investigating the incident.

"This was not an unrestrained riot -- it was a deliberate campaign of criminal activity to hold the Australian people to ransom in order to gain visas," an immigration departmental spokesperson said Tuesday.

Australia has a policy of compulsory detention for all illegal arrivals on Australian shores while claims for asylum or refugee status are assessed.

While some claims are processed after a few months many others can take more than two years to determine because of legal challenges and a lack of documentation.

Moreover, illegal immigrants from countries where Australia has no diplomatic relationship, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, can be held indefinitely.

This incident marks the latest in a series of uprisings, demonstrations and escapes that have plagued Australia's camps in the past two years.

Almost 3,000 men, women and children are currently detained in camps on the Australian mainland while more than 1,200 others are in camps on the remote territory of Christmas Island, the Pacific nation of Nauru and in Papua New Guinea.

Earlier this year, an Australian prison watchdog described conditions in the detention centers as being "unacceptably overcrowded" and described medical services as "disgracefully inadequate".

There have been seven fires at Woomera in the last month

Western Australian Inspector of Custodial Services Professor Richard Harding said the poor conditions and a "lack of accountability" in the system directly contributed to the unrest at the facilities.

"Anyone who knows the simplest thing about prison riots knows also that unacceptable conditions against which there is no recourse … are the precursor to riots," Harding said.

Also, the commonwealth ombudsman -- an independent statutory office set up by Australia's parliament to investigate complaints against government agencies -- has condemned the camps and their lack of accountability.

"Immigration detainees have lesser rights than convicted criminals held in jails and ... (are) held in an environment that appeared to have a weaker accountability framework," the ombudsman warned.

The criticisms follow a similar report by a parliamentary committee that in June recommended an overhaul of the detention system, saying it had led to human rights abuses.

Flood of criticism

Australia's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission is also now conducting a probe into the treatment of children in the camps.

The commission most recently conducted a snap inspection of the detention facilities on Christmas Island and released a damning report on the conditions there.

In February, an independent inquiry called the Flood Report criticized the management of detention facilities, saying inmates were humiliated and abused by staff, and children were treated like criminals.

The camps have also been roundly criticized by church groups and international humanitarian agencies such as Amnesty International.

Most of the inmates in Australia's camps have fled humanitarian catastrophes in the Middle East and South and Central Asia, coming to Australia from Indonesia on boats organized by smuggling gangs.