SA: Police transport 26 illegal immigrants from Woomera

AAP General News (Australia)
08-29-2000
SA: Police transport 26 illegal immigrants from Woomera

By Steve Larkin

WOOMERA, SA, Aug 29 AAP - Illegal immigrants tried to smash their way through the window
of a police bus moments after being questioned about their role in a riot at the Woomera
Detention Centre.

Federal and South Australian police herded 26 male asylum seekers into a fortified
police van and a minibus for what was expected to be the long road trip to the Adelaide
Remand Centre.

The group included 10 suspected ringleaders in yesterday's riot at Woomera in which
six buildings were torched and 32 security guards injured in attacks with slingshots and
makeshift spears.

A group of 19 illegal immigrants was placed in an armoured police van while seven others
were handcuffed and put in a minibus flanked by federal police.

The minibus had left the Woomera police station grounds and was turning a corner just
five metres away when a group of illegal immigrants unsuccessfully attempted to break
through the side windows of the bus.

The group hammered the windows with their fists before being restrained by police on the bus.

The refugees, from the Middle East, were mainly middle-aged and young men and were
dressed in tracksuit pants and tops. Some were without shoes.

The 26 men had spent the morning in a holding cell at the police complex after being
taken into custody from the detention centre, which suffered extensive damage during yesterday's
riot.

Police would not immediately confirm the destination of the refugees or if any charges
had been laid.

However Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said earlier refugees would be taken to
Adelaide today while authorities considered charges against them.

"I'm not going to go into what may be the nature of the specific charges but very extensive
damage to commonwealth property has been occasioned and those responsible have to be held
responsible for it."

Video footage is expected to be used as evidence against some of the 80 to 100 asylum
seekers involved in yesterday's riot.

Mr Ruddock defended the use of tear gas and water cannon to quell the riot.

"People who take out fence posts and use them as spears, catapults that were used to
propel ... the rock-throwing that was going on - this is behaviour that is totally unacceptable
and those who have been engaged in it have to be held accountable," he told ABC radio.

An Immigration Department spokesman said many of the rioters had recently been refused
refugee status in Australia.

Immigration department spokesman Roger Wheatley would not confirm the number of refugees
questioned by police at the Woomera station today or the charges they would face except
to say they would be "serious".

Police also would not confirm if any charges had been laid.

Journalists saw five buses, each containing about 10 immigrants, enter the police complex
from dawn this morning.

Police earlier said the group including a core of 10 identified as the ringleaders
of yesterday's riot, in which six buildings at the detention centre were destroyed by
fire as 80 illegal immigrants rebelled.

Mr Wheatley said 32 security guards at the centre were injured when attacked by the
refugees yesterday.

Two guards required stitches with the others sustaining lacerations and bruises when
struck by rocks hurled by the illegal immigrants, who also used slingshots.

Mr Wheatley said the centre was today calm.

"The mood is very quiet and the place is back to some semblance of normality," he said.

He said six buildings within the centre were destroyed by fire and other buildings
had windows broken by projectiles.

Mr Wheatley allowed one newspaper photographer and one television cameraman into the
centre today to film damage.

A cleanup operation was underway at the centre today, which he said was littered with
broken glass and the remains of the six buildings which were gutted by fire.

Mr Ruddock said he expected a review of security at Woomera to be completed by the
end of the week.

AAP sl/cd/bwl

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