Children sew lips together at Woomera
Three children have had stitches removed after sewing their lips together during a hunger strike at the Woomera detention centre, the Immigration Department said.
The Afghan children, aged between 12 and 15, were among about 210 asylum seekers continuing a protest at the centre in South Australia's north.
A department spokeswoman said the three children were taken from the centre on Saturday and had the stitches removed at the Woomera hospital.
About 70 detainees have sewn their lips together while another 140 people are participating in a hunger strike, she said.
"It also appears that everyone involved in this activity are Afghanis," the spokeswoman said.
The asylum seekers have been protesting for four days at the delay in processing visa applications at Woomera.
Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock has warned the detainees their action would not affect the outcome of their asylum applications.
"We've seen it before amongst detainees and it's something that offends the sensitivities of Australians and they (the protesters) believe it might influence the way we might respond.
"They believe it will influence decisions. It can't and it won't," he said.
This week's incidents follow three days of riots last month in which two asylum seekers mutilated themselves, 21 security guards were injured and 21 buildings damaged by fire, causing an estimated $2 million worth of damage.
That fracas followed similar unrest earlier in the month, when buildings were damaged by fire.
In November, about 250 of the more than 1,100 detainees at the centre rioted and also damaged buildings, causing about $140,000 worth of damage.
===== Kevin Dean Buffalo, NY ICQ: 8616001 http://www.yaysoft.com
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