As it is with any other seemingly well off nation, for years Australia has had to contend with thousands of illegal immigrants attempting to reach its shores. One of the most profound tactics that it uses is to house these immigrants, as well as other deportees awaiting final removal, on one of its territorial possessions in a remote island possession. Christmas island, so named as it was discovered on Christmas day of 1643, was formerly a valuable mining resource for phosphate (then used in fertilizers) from its large deposits of Guano (bird droppings). After phosphate sources became plentiful from other sources, Guano rich islands generally fell into disfavor due to the transport distance and costs of production. However, its remoteness (located 1600 miles off shore) has lent an effective if rather cruel, anti-illegal immigration tool to the Australian government as those who are interdicted on the open seas attempting to journey down under are then forcibly housed in camps there whilst the government considered their cases. Located on the western end of the island, UN human rights workers have expressed grave concerns about conditions in the camps and a recent death of an escaped detainee there has only heightened criticism. Press or other media are not allowed on the island, which is also home to a very small population of approximately 2000, mostly Chinese Australians of Malaysian Chinese descent. Recent reports of unrest in the camps with call up of police reinforcements with riot equipment have indicated that trouble continues there. One report suggests that it is only a small group of hard core detainees that have cause damage to the facility and some have stated that they are armed with weapons. Police have been said to have surrounded a building and Australian authorities have attempted to keep a calm front when discussing the matter, claiming that they will soon have matters under control. Authorities are keen to keep a lid on trouble there as they're reminded of events there four years ago in which detainees threw molotov cocktails and caused considerable fire damage. Spoiler: Illegal Immigrants Arriving At Christmas Island and other issues The problem with Australia's Off Shore Processing: Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34773138 http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-...migration-insist-christmas-island--calm-.html
Authorities announced an end to the rioting after federal police were brought in to quell the unrest. Spokesmen for the government declined to elaborate as to what measures were taken to regain control of the complex but pointed out that the main reason for the turmoil stemmed from the actions of a core group of detainees. Australia also strengthened its laws last year allowing the deportation of non Australian citizens if they failed a character test, such as criminal activity which caused their conviction and sentencing for more than one year in jail. Because of this some long time Australian foreigner residents with criminal pasts, especially many from New Zealand, were transferred to Christmas Island, pending deportation. It was believed that this group was one of the main instigators of the riots. Source: http://america.aljazeera.com/articl...at-australian-immigration-detention-camp.html
