Australian immigration officials have confirmed that a group of asylum seekers at a detention centre in Sydney have gone on a hunger strike.
The group Refugee Action Coalition says that up to 100 detainees are now refusing food at the Villawood Detention Centre.
Spokesman Ian Rintoul says they took the action on Thursday, because of a suicide attempt by a mentally ill Chinese man.
Mr Rintoul says they are demanding the release of all mentally ill detainees, and other detainees who have been held for more than two years.
“What they want is some indication from the government that they’re not just going to be left to rot,” he said.
An immigration department spokesman says that a small number of detainees have stopped eating, and their health is being constantly monitored.
He says the reasons are their own.
Australia’s Migration Act requires that all non Australian citizens who are unlawfully in Australia be detained.
From ABCAsiaPacific