Australia moved 94 Afghan asylum-seekers to a newly reopened mainland detention centre on Saturday to ease congestion at a crowded Indian Ocean island facility, Reuters quoted a government minister as saying. The reopening of the Curtin detention centre at a military base in the country's northwest comes amid an upsurge of arrivals from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Such arrivals are shaping as a key issue in an election due later this year. Immigration Minister Chris Evans said in a statement the first batch of asylum-seekers, all single men from Afghanistan, was moved on Saturday and would be followed by another 95 on Sunday. "It makes sense for the government to manage this group of asylum-seekers in one secure location and the Curtin facility is well-placed to provide this accommodation," Evans said. The government has suspended processing of asylum claims from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, where most arrivals come from. However, this has not deterred would-be migrants, who mostly set sail from neighbouring Indonesia in ramshackle boats on journeys organised by people-smuggling syndicates. Two more boats carrying a total of 115 people have already arrived this weekend, the government said. -- SPA
