Rioting at a controversial Australian detention centre on Christmas Island is over and control of the facility is back in the hands of authorities.
Riot police stormed the facility at dawn today (local time), apparently using tear gas and rubber bullets. About 40 New Zealanders are detained there.
But a statement from Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Protection said "the majority of detainees co-operated with service providers in restoring good order and control to the centre".
All detainees were accounted for, and five were awaiting assessment by medical professionals for injury or illness.
"None of the matters are life-threatening. It is not known whether those injuries were sustained during the disturbance itself or during the resolution of the operation," the statement said.
The unrest began early on Monday after upset detainees asked officials what happened to Kurdish Iranian refugee Fazel Chegeni, whose body was found on Sunday following his escape from the detention centre on Friday.
The detention centre is run by controversial private prison operator Serco, which hit headlines in New Zealand this year after a series of scandals emerged at Mt Eden prison in Auckland.
Two bus-loads of guard reinforcements were trucked to Christmas Island overnight, patrolling the perimeter of the centre, as sirens sounded for hours on end.
The facility was now "completely under the control" of Australian authorities, Sky News Australia reported.
In Canberra, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told reporters: "The Government's not going to cower in the face of the activities of some of these criminals."
Centre operators had control of the administration block and health clinic as of Monday night, Sky News Australia reported, and authorities had been patrolling the perimeter of the facility.
Mr Dutton said he was confident authorities would contain the situation, and warned those who had damaged Commonwealth property would face the full force of the law.
New Zealand detainee Lester Hohua said the rioting at the centre had been brewing. Over-crowding and alleged assaults by the emergency response team had put the detainees at breaking point, he said.
"It was just a matter of time, all of us knew it. It was a matter of time because of the way they treat people," he told NZME News Service. "We're Kiwis, we're not bred for the psychological trauma...This is what war-torn country people [see], it's not for us."
New Zealand Labour MP and its corrections spokesman Kelvin Davis, who visited Christmas Island last month, has called for the New Zealand Government to send officials to the detention centre.
Mr Davis said earlier today that some detainees had barricaded themselves in their compound and were "terrified".
"They said, 'They're coming in'. Gas canisters have been allegedly fired off, rubber pellets have been allegedly fired off. One guy claims to have been hit in the leg by one...the guys that I spoke to were in their cell, barricading themselves and keeping themselves safe.
"It was pretty chaotic, there was a lot of noise in the background. It could be all over by now to be honest, it was a David versus Goliath situation. I just hope everyone's OK."
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said it was likely that Kiwis were involved in the riots, but thought there was a danger they would damage their own appeals.
"My concerns would be that, like a riot at any corrections facility, there can and may well be consequences as a result."
News of the action comes as Australia is facing a grilling over its human rights record, appearing in the hot seat before the UN Human Rights Council for a performance review on Monday.
Amnesty International has urged New Zealand to speak out on its neighbour's "abysmal" record, in particular its policies for asylum seekers. But Mr Key said yesterday New Zealand did not plan to do so.
"I don't think the Australians would accept that there are human rights issues and from New Zealand's point of view we have said that we will investigate any that are brought to our attention."
Mr Key said he had been told that detainees faced a wait of "weeks, not months" before they could return to New Zealand.
Justice Minister Amy Adams said she was seeking reassurances from her Australian counterparts that they would help Kiwi detainees return home as quickly as possible.
Ms Adams said Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had assured her New Zealand detainees could return home, their applications would be handled "expeditiously", and their return to New Zealand would not be detrimental to their appeals against deportation.
- Reporting by NZME News Servive and The New Zealand Herald
