AAP reporters July 20, 2011 - 2:39PM
AAP
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned asylum seekers at the Christmas Island detention centre that illegal protests will count against their refugee claims.
"If you commit a criminal offence it will count against you," she told reporters at Gundurrah, in southern NSW, on Wednesday.
"You don't get any changes to the process and treatment of your claims by misbehaving."
A male detainee has been arrested after about 50 asylum seekers late on Tuesday ran amok using improvised weapons, starting several fires and breaching compounds within the centre.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers made a number of attempts to defuse and de-escalate the riot, but these were not successful, an AFP spokesman said.
Police fired bean bag rounds, tear gas and percussion bombs to control the situation.
"The AFP will continue to assess possible offences committed and to identify those involved in violent behaviour," the AFP spokesman said.
An immigration spokesman said three asylum seekers climbed onto a roof after the riot to stage a protest but later came down.
On Sunday night, a group of 11 asylum seekers climbed onto a roof at the centre's main compound, which mainly holds single adult males.
The AFP said no detainees remained on that roof.
Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor told reporters in Melbourne the disturbance at the centre was now a peaceful protest.
He said participation in violent protests would only harm the chances of refugee approval.
"If people are wanting to have their applications for asylum properly processed this is not the approach you take," he said.
"As a result of the changes the government has made to the character test, the chances of them seeking asylum or having themselves properly processed can indeed be affected by such behaviour."
Mr O'Connor denied the latest protest proved immigration detention centres were becoming unmanageable.
An asylum-seeker swap deal with Malaysia was a long-term solution to the unrest, he said.
"We're going to find a sustainable solution in order to prevent people smugglers continuing with their business."
Meanwhile, in Darwin, a small group of asylum seekers has ended a six-day rooftop protest at the city's Berrimah detention centre, immigration officials say.
An immigration spokeswoman told AAP that Serco, the security company responsible for managing the centre, had successfully encouraged a group of four men to end their protest action on Wednesday morning.
The department declined to speculate about reasons for the protest.
© 2011 AAP
