Fresh protests have broken out at two immigration detention centres as it emerged a refugee swap deal between Australia and Malaysia is set to be finalised early next week.
The ABC understands Immigration Minister Chris Bowen and Malaysia’s Home Affairs Minister Hishammuddin Hussein will meet to sign documents formalising the asylum seeker swap deal in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
Under the agreement, 800 asylum seekers will be transferred to Malaysia, and in exchange, Australia will take 4,000 genuine refugees over four years.
Fires were lit during a third night of protests at the Christmas Island detention centre overnight as a group of men barricaded themselves into one of the compounds and another boat carrying 62 asylum seekers arrived off the island.
The Refugee Action Coalition says a group of men barricaded themselves in one of the compounds last night, and the ABC understands the men threatened self harm if the Australian Federal Police tried to break up the protest.
The Department of Immigration says one or two small fires were lit in the north-west compound of the detention centre, and the AFP and fire brigade are currently on hand assisting.
Meanwhile asylum seekers at another detention centre near Weipa, Queensland, have begun a hunger strike.
The Refugee Action Coalition says at least 50 detainees are continuing a hunger strike for a second day at the Scherger detention centre.
But Immigration officials have rejected claims that detainees at the centre are being woken by guards up to four times a night.
Asylum seeker advocate Pamela Curr recently visited the Scherger facility and says guards are regularly waking detainees using torches as part of increased surveillance after the death of an Afghan man earlier this year.
A Department spokesman says there is no such practice at the facility.
