Australia No Longer to Automatically Jail Asylum Seekers

The majority of asylum seekers will no longer be detained under major immigration reforms announced by the Australian government.  In a further softening of the country's uncompromising stance on illegal arrivals, the Immigration Minister Chris Evans says officials will only be able to hold an asylum seeker if they are seen to pose a danger to the community.  From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

Australia has scrapped most of its tough rules on locking up asylum seekers, although those deemed to be security risks will still be held in custody.

The Labor government has said that the policy of detaining asylum seekers indefinitely while they go through the often complicated and time-consuming process of applying for refugee status was no longer acceptable.

The mandatory detention of unauthorized arrivals has been criticized as inhuman by rights groups and prompted several gruesome protests by inmates at Australian detention centers.  In recent years detainees have sown their lips together to show their frustrations, while others have thrown themselves on razor wire fences.