Clashes at Australian refugee camp

It was the latest in a series of clashes at the camp

Riot police on horseback have clashed with protesters outside Australia's Woomera refugee centre as demonstrators once again marched in protest at the government's immigration policy.

Seven more protesters were arrested on Sunday

Seven protesters were arrested. In total, 30 people have been detained during a weekend of protests which saw 50 asylum seekers escape when activists stormed the remote desert compound on Friday.

Ten of them are still on the run and concern is growing for their safety as they try to survive in the difficult outback terrain around the camp, 450 kilometres (280 miles) north-west of Adelaide.

Superintendent Wayne Bristow said it was "a tragedy waiting to happen".

"This is a desert area, these people had no knowledge of it," he said.

Temperatures at this time of year can rise to 30C, falling to below 10C at night.

However, protesters say some of the fugitives have already reached major cities, where they are being harboured by sympathisers.

Police under fire

The detainees shouted and waved as hundreds of activists once again marched down the road to the centre on Saturday, carrying toys for the inmates.

Activists brought toys for children in the camp

But police were better prepared than on Friday and managed to stop them reaching the internal fences.

Immigration Minister Phillip Ruddock has criticised the police for failing to prevent the break-out on Friday.

He said those who had escaped would be dealt with by the courts and could face five years in prison.

The breakout happened after about 1,000 activists crossed a restricted area, ripped down perimeter fences and advanced into the detention centre.

Some asylum seekers scaled fences topped with razor wire, while others broke through holes in the perimeter fences.

If anything the demonstrations will strengthen the resolve of the Australian people to support even more the government's policy

Australian Prime Minister
John Howard

Officials said guards had been forced to use teargas to break up one group of detainees who attacked them with bed posts and slingshots.

Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, said the demonstrations would not change the government's policy on immigration.

"If anything it will strengthen the resolve of the Australian people to support even more the government's policy," he said.

The government says its policy of mandatory detention of asylum seekers is necessary for security and health reasons.

Hundreds held

Over the past two years, detainees at Woomera have staged a series of sometimes violent demonstrations, including a hunger strike earlier this year when many of those involved sewed their lips together.

Some critics have described Woomera as "a concentration camp".

Up to 800 detainees can be held within its razor wire fences while their applications for refugee status are considered.

The process takes a few months on average, but can last up to five years.

More than 300 detainees are currently believed to be in the centre, most of them from Afghanistan and Iraq.