Australian Immigration Center Riot Damage Hits $7Mn

A two-day riot at an Australian immigration center, in which detainees set fires and reportedly armed themselves with makeshift weapons including a chainsaw, caused Aus$10 million (U.S.$7 million) in damage, the government said Thursday.

The unrest began late Sunday at the facility on Christmas Island, a remote Indian Ocean territory which houses both non-citizens convicted of crimes awaiting deportation and asylum-seekers.

Police reinforcements arrived on Tuesday and used tear gas to quell the riot.

"We're just not going to tolerate this sort of behavior," Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told Sydney radio station 2GB, confirming that seven inmates had been transferred to a mainland prison.

The five New Zealanders, Tongan and Afghan were believed to be involved in the unrest which broke out after a Kurdish-Iranian asylum-seeker, who had escaped the center, was found dead.

Dutton said detainees broke into a medical clinic and had taken drugs during the unrest. He also said they raided an area storing gardening equipment, where they may have obtained a chainsaw after guards retreated.

"So they had the run of the center until the guards were able to go back in and the Australian Federal Police arrived," he said.

"We're dealing with some of the country's worst criminals."

Dutton said the initial estimate of damage was more than Aus$1 million, but this had since been dramatically upgraded.

"The figure is closer to Aus$10 million worth of damage," he said.

Australia has endured international criticism for its hardline immigration policy under which asylum-seekers arriving by boat are sent to remote camps, where critics say conditions can be harsh.

The detainee who escaped, named in the media as Fazel Chegeni, is believed to have scaled a fence, with his absence undetected for two hours.

His body was reportedly found at the base of a cliff. Dutton has previously said his death was not considered suspicious but was being investigated by the coroner.

Britain's services giant Serco, which manages the Christmas Island facility, said it was investigating the circumstances that led to the escape and had suspended three staff pending the results.

"Christmas Island Immigration Detention Center is appropriately staffed for the detainees at the facility," it added.

Dutton stressed the situation within the center was now calm, and he expected more inmates to be moved to mainland prisons in coming days.