(Transcript from World News Radio)
The federal government is downplaying unrest at the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea that has included a mass breakout and rioting.
The government says all those who escaped have been recaptured, and there's been only minor damage and injuries.
But an asylum seeker there is believed to have made a number of phone calls to Australia during the incident saying he feared for his life.
Thea Cowie reports.
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A Pakistani man living in Australia on a bridging visa says he received a disturbing phone call from his brother who's in detention on Manus Island.
"He told me there had everything destroyed and everyone is fighting here. We've got the police and police is also fight with us and some people escape from here but we don't want to run away from here. He was worried and he tells me there is a lot of people injured."
After about 10 seconds, the man says the phone line dropped out and what followed was an anxious night.
"I cannot sleep. How can I sleep? He's my brother, he's like my father. I am thinking is he alive or not? What's happening with him? Is he injured? What's wrong with him? He didn't call me again. I don't know when he'll call me again."
The man, who does not want to be identified, arrived in Australia by boat just a few months ahead of his brother who is now in detention on Manus Island.
In what the Australian government is describing as an "incident", 35 asylum seekers escaped from the Manus Island detention centre at around 7pm local time.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says the group was quickly found and returned to the centre, which was secure 40 minutes later.
Over the next three-and-a-half hours the Minister says there were minor incidents and tensions.
He says damage is limited to a few light poles, glass panels, a tent shade and a couple of bunk beds.
During that time, Sarah Ross, from the Refugee Rights Action Network, says she also received a brief phone call from the Pakistani asylum seeker on Manus Island.
"He was very distressed, he was crying and he was saying 'don't talk, just listen, we're in danger, we're going to die here, people are injured everywhere, everything's destroyed.' He kept repeating the same thing over and over again and then suddenly was like 'I have to go, I have to go'. So it was a very panicked phone conversation. He sounded very distressed and scared. His brother rang distressed saying 'he's rung me, he said that we'll meet again at the day of judgement, I'm really scared about his safety."
The government says eight asylum seekers have been arrested and 19 have received medical treatment for non-life threatening injuries following the incident.
Mr Morrison won't say what equipment guards and police used to subdue the asylum seekers, but says it didn't involve the use of batons.
Confusion remains over what sparked the incident.
Mr Morrison says the PNG Immigration and Citizenship Services Authority went at the centre shortly beforehand to respond to asylum seekers' questions.
He says people at the meeting became agitated and began chanting when they were told that those found to be refugees will have settlement in PNG as their only option.
"The (Australian Immigration) Department understands that during the meeting on February 16, the transferees were advised by the PNG ISCA that those found to be refugees also be offered settlement in PNG. However, Mr Ken Garly who was the ISCA centre manager confirmed with the transferees that a third country option will not be offered and that neither the PNG nor Australian governments will be acting on behalf of the transferees in seeking alternative settlement countries to PNG."
Asylum seeker advocates have been reporting daily protests at the centre for weeks.
Manus Island MP Ron Knight denies there's been growing tensions among the asylum seekers.
However, he disputes that those found to be refugees will be offered settlement in PNG.
"As far as I know it will be quite impossible for anybody to be settled in Papua New Guinea. First of all we don't have a visa - such as a bridging visa which you have - and second of all we have our criteria there. For example if you are going to apply for citizenship in Papua New Guinea you have to live in the coutry for eight years. So I don't think it's possible for them to settle in PNG. Also I know that 98 per cent of all land in Papua New Guinea is owned by the land owners not the government . so unless the government has some land somewhere that it wants to put them and look after them it will be quite impossible for anyone to allow them to stay in PNG."
Opposition Immigration spokesman Richard Marles says the Abbott government has a lot of questions to answer.
"This is the second incident really serious incident that has occurred under this government's watch, and so there are obviously issues at Manus Island. What we need to know is what the government intends to do to ensure that this kind of incident doesn't happen again."
In October Australian expatriate staff were evacuated from the Manus detention centre, during a clash between local police and soldiers.
