About 40 people have been injured in brawls between Sri Lankan and Afghan asylum seekers being held at a holding centre on Christmas Island over the past few days. Three people were evacuated to Perth for treatment. The center holds more than 1,000 people, mainly from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, while their applications are processed. Several Sri Lankans have had their applications denied and were sent home, increasing tensions, although human rights groups blame the tension on overcrowding. The Australian government has said it will increase capacity at the centre by 800 this year.
An Australian navy ship intercepted a boat with 56 suspected asylum-seekers on board 100 nautical miles norwest of Derby, Western Australia, Monday afternoon. It is the 46th ship intercepted this year, and the second in two days.
Many boats are organized by people-smugglers from Indonesia who organize the trip from the country of origin, and then hide people on small boats. Once they reach Australian waters, the boat sends out a false distress signal to alert rescue ships in the hope of being taken to the detention centre, Al-Jazeera reports.
Links to other sites: Al-Jazeera, BBC, News Sun, Radio Australia
