Woomera detainees sew lips in protest By KERRY TAYLOR CANBERRA Saturday 19 January 2002 More reports at our Immigration mini-site At least 58 detainees at the Woomera detention centre have sewn their lips together and others have joined a hunger strike, the Immigration Department confirmed last night. The people involved in the latest protest were believed to be angry about the length of time it had taken to process their applications for refugee status, the department said. A department spokeswoman could not confirm when the detainees had sewn their lips together but said the hunger strike had started on Wednesday. A security guard at the Woomera detention centre who tried to help a detainee who had attempted self-harm was injured when other detainees threw rocks at him, she said. Buildings had also been damaged, she said. The protest was the latest in a series of disturbances at the centre since late last year. Up to $2million damage occurred at Woomera when detainees set fire to buildings in December...More http://theage.com.au/news/national/2002/01/19/FFX5FNRUKWC.html And Pothibition Idiocies http://theage.com.au/news/national/2002/01/19/FFX5FNRUKWC.html
