Pontville Immigration Detention Center

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The Pontville Immigration Detention Center was an Australian refugee camp located on military grounds near the small rural town of Pontville in Tasmania , about 30 kilometers north of Hobart . The camp was occupied from 2011 to 2013, initially with male asylum seekers and later, until it was closed, mainly with unaccompanied minor refugees .

Establishment

The Australian federal government announced in April 2011 that it would build a structure for 400 asylum seekers on military premises for A $ 15 million . The buildings were initially used to accommodate male asylum seekers and later by underage refugees.

Storage occupancy

The first camp was occupied at the end of October 2011 with 95 asylum seekers from Hazara , a minority from Afghanistan .

In 2013, the majority of Australia's unaccompanied refugee minors, at 254 youths, were housed in this detention center.

Storage conditions

On the occasion of a visit by the Australian Human Rights Commission in May 2013 , it stated that the internment camp reflects the character of a prison and is surrounded by high fences.

She also noted a high degree of desperation among the underage refugees, which they justified with the long time spent in the camp. Between January 1, 2013 and August 14, 2013, the Human Rights Commission counted 50 cases of current self-harm and recorded 49 threatened cases.

closure

The warehouse had been empty since September 2013 and was closed in February 2014. Most of the underage refugees from the camp came to a so-called "community detention", in facilities that run non-profit and church organizations.

The camp site with 40 hectares of land, 100 demountable buildings and kilometers of reusable fences was bought in 2016 by a 75-year-old farmer who wants to share the area with the previous landowner.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mex Cooper: Tasmanian solution for Asylum , April 5, 2011, on The Age . Retrieved March 16, 2017
  2. ^ Andrew Darby: A small community finds room in its heart for asylum seekers , October 31, 2011, on Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved March 16, 2017
  3. ↑ a b c Pontville detention center , 2014, on Australian Human Rights Commission . Retrieved March 16, 2017
  4. ↑ Tony Brisco: Tasmanian farmer the new owner of former Pontville Detention Center , May 23, 2016, on SMH news. Retrieved March 16, 2017

Coordinates: 42 ° 40 ′ 27.5 ″  S , 147 ° 16 ′ 42.5 ″  E