Adelaide - The Australian government has come under fire after saying it was looking at tougher controls against detained asylum-seekers, including forcibly sedating them with drugs if they became unruly.
Catholic Church worker Ms Liz Curran said yesterday the government was risking causing major emotional problems among detainees, many of whom had experienced great trauma and torture at home before being forced into "prison-like" facilities in Australia. "What is needed is not a knee-jerk reaction," said the spokeswoman for the Catholic Commission for Justice, Development and Peace.