Monday, June 21, 2010

Rohingya Asylum seekers on hunger strike in Australia

Source: ABC News
Australia's Immigration Department says 31 asylum-seekers are continuing their protest at a Darwin detention centre.

The protest at the Northern Territory centre began a week ago, with some asylum seekers refusing to eat.

One protester was taken to hospital for a check-up on Saturday but is now back in detention.

A Burmese asylum seeker taking part in the protest says the group is angry at how long it is taking to process their applications.

Iraqis eat

The Australian Immigration Department says 31 Rohingya people from Burma are on hunger strike.

It is reported 10 Iraqis who were also refusing food are now eating.

The department has said the action will not speed asylum application processing.

One of the Burmese asylum seekers, who asked not to be named for fear of adverse consequences, told Radio Australia, the Immigration Department needs to deal with their cases more quickly.

"We are not protesting, we are making a request by not eating, we are not holding any placards or making any noise," the detainee said.

"We have not heard about our visa application status, others have got theirs within 90 days.

"Our tenure here range from six months to 10 months. We want information on why we have not been processed.

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