Eleven Afghan children at a remote Australian refugee camp have threatened to commit suicide by tomorrow afternoon as hunger strikes against Australia's hard line on asylum seekers continued for a 13th day.
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Refugee lawyer Mr Rob McDonald said today that 15 children, aged 12 to 17, originally joined the death pact. But some Iraqis at the Woomera detention centre in the desert of South Australia state had pulled out.
The rest set 5 p.m. (6.30 a.m. Irish time) Tuesday as a deadline for the government to take them out of the desolate camp.
"If they can't get out easily, they'll either die or die trying to get out," Mr McDonald told Reuters. "They're talking about jumping on razor wire, harming themselves with sharp implements or ingesting some sort of fluid".
Hunger strikes by mainly Afghan and Middle Eastern asylum seekers have occurred in four of Australia's six detention centres since about 200 detainees at Woomera, 475 km (295 miles) north of Adelaide, began to refuse food and water 13 days ago.
The asylum seekers are protesting at the months, and sometimes years, it takes to process refugee claims. At Woomera they also complain about the isolation. The detention centre is in a former rocket range the size of England and summer temperatures rise to 40 degree Celsius or more.
Some have tried to hang themselves while others have drunk shampoo or disinfectant and swallowed painkillers.
Dozens have sewn their lips shut with a strand of thread but an Afghan detained at Woomera, Hassan Varasi, said in a letter today they would start to take the stitches out.