Christmas Island detainees show their scars, speak of despair

An asylum-seeker, left, with fresh scars on his forearm, leaves a church service on Christmas Island yesterday. Picture: Colin Murty. Source: The Australian

LONG-TERM detainees at Christmas Island's main detention centre have spoken out about their frustration and despair on the eve of a tour by politicians from both major parties of the high-security facility today.

About 10 asylum-seekers from the centre were keen to tell The Australian their concerns and said some people had been detained for 15 months while waiting for their claims to be processed. "Detention is very hard," one of the men said. "Everybody is worried about what will happen to them."

Speaking after a church service they were allowed to attend, the men said detainees harmed themselves regularly, including sewing their lips and cutting themselves. Two of the men showed their scarred forearms and said they had cut themselves because of the hopelessness detention had created. Mainly Iranian, they said they feared being sent back to their country because they would be jailed and tortured. "That's why we are here," one said.

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