Detainees warned staff of violence

Just hours before a bloody and violent riot erupted between ethnic groups at
Christmas Island detention centre, Sri Lankan detainees demanded staff act on an
earlier incident, a court has heard.
Five Tamil men are on trial in the Perth Magistrates Court charged with taking part
in a riot and possessing a weapon at the centre on November 21 last year.
Anantharajeevan Thangarasha, Kokilakumar Subramanian, Pranavan Sivasubramaniyam,
Gnararajah Jesurajah and Anburajan Anton are all on trial.
Crown Prosecutor Ron Davies has told the court the violent riot had spread from a
disruption between detainees in one of the accommodation areas.
Mr Davies said it resulted in a group of Afghanis being seriously outnumbered, set
upon and "severely beaten" by the Sri Lankans.
On Tuesday, defence lawyer Claire O'Connor cross-examined the centre's operations
manager, Mark Bonccorso, who told the court an earlier incident had occurred between
Afghanis and Sri Lankans in the afternoon.
Mr Bonccorso said he had spoken to some injured Sri Lankans who were upset with an
incident involving some Afghanis and refused to go to the medical centre until the
matter was dealt with.
"One of the detainees had his right arm in a sling and a number of them at the front
of the group, some had scratches and ruffled shirts," he said.
"I stated to the detainees I will have the matter investigated."
However, when later speaking with a group of Afghanis, Mr Bonccorso was told they
were the ones who had been mistreated to which he replied he was reviewing the
incident.
"One in particular, the Afghan with the four stitches in his head, was quite happy
for that process to take place," Mr Bonccorso said.
"I was asked directly by two Afghan detainees who lived (in the area where the
earlier incident occurred) if it was safe to return. I said I was given assurance by
the Sri Lankan detainees that the matter was finished and over."
As a result of the earlier incident, security roller doors had been lowered but
after the matter was resolved, the door was raised until eight that night.
Mr Bonccorso said that at about that time he saw the man with the four stitches in
his head back in the accommodation area with a plastic chair "which he was swinging
in a overhead fashion towards the (Sri Lankan) detainees".
The court heard the fight which had broken out then spilled out onto the oval, where
Afghani detainees were seen running towards the soccer field and began tearing apart
the goal posts.
Groups of Sri Lankans and Afghanis began lining up and facing off against each other
armed with metal poles and sticks.
At the time of the riot, Mr Bonccorso said, there had also been a large increase in
the number of arrivals at Christmas Island.
"There had been some arrivals in the month before, the population had swelled at
that time?" Ms O'Connor asked.
Mr Bonccorso replied: "It had started to swell at about October".
The trial before Magistrate Steven Malley continues.