Australian immigration minister plans to toughen asylum seekers character test

Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen on Tuesday said he plans to introduce tougher laws for asylum seekers who are involved in violent protests while in immigration detention.

Unrest has flared at several detention centers in recent months, with buildings burnt down at Sydney's Villawood center during a riot last week.

Bowen said under the proposed changes, the Migration Act would be amended to specify that a person fails the character test should he or she be convicted of any offense committed while in immigration detention.

As well, the maximum penalty for the manufacture, possession, use or distribution of weapons by immigration detainees will increase from three to five years jail.

The government plans to backdate these proposed amendments to April 26, meaning those involved in recent uprisings at detention centers, but are yet to be charged, would face the new character test.

Bowen said the change would send a clear message that anyone engaging in unacceptable conduct would be denied a protection visa.

"These changes send a clear message to anyone considering engaging in unacceptable behavior in immigration detention that this will only increase their chances of not being granted a visa, " he said in a statement released on Tuesday.
【1】 【2】

	Weekly review     April 20   Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail to remove luxury seats   April 18   China undergoing shift into nation of consumers April 18   Zhejiang checks food, raids illegal bun makers April 19   SASS: Chinese students mentally healthier than Asian peers April 23   The week in pictures April 19   Build legal bulwark against moral decline April 21   'China model' 30 years on: from home to abroad April 21   Piano student's bloody crime heart-wrenching in China April 18   China places firmer lid on home prices April 19   China puts brake on economic bullet train