SA: Fires destroy buildings at Woomera detention centre

AAP General News (Australia)
12-07-2001
SA: Fires destroy buildings at Woomera detention centre

ADELAIDE, Dec 7 AAP - Deliberately lit fires destroyed a laundry block and a toilet
block at the Woomera detention centre today, the immigration department said.

A department spokesman said the fires at the South Australian centre were lit early this morning.

They had since been put out and there were no injuries, he said.

Police were still investigating similar incidents which have occurred at the centre
over the past three weeks.

A fire was lit during a demonstration involving about 100 detainees on Monday.

About $140,000 worth of fire damage was caused during a riot involving some 250 detainees
17 days ago.

Women's toilet blocks, recreation and program rooms and a kindergarten were also set
on fire last week, and there were other acts of vandalism.

Anger at the small amount of recent releases from the centre was believed to be the
cause of the incidents, although only a minority of the centre's 1,100 detainees were
involved.

"All these acts of vandalism achieve is to put lives at risk - they will in no way
influence an asylum outcome," a department spokesperson said in a statement.

The events of recent weeks add to a long list of past disturbances at the centre including
a mass breakout of more than 500 detainees in June last year and a riot last August that
left 32 security guards injured and six buildings destroyed.

AAP scl/tb/sb

KEYWORD: WOOMERA

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