Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul says the asylum seekers are holding a peaceful sit-in after a group of 54 mainly Afghan asylum seekers arrived on the island on Thursday.
He says residents of the island will protest the deal with Malaysia from 9am (WST) ahead of the tenth anniversary of the Tampa crisis.
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Meanwhile, the opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says the federal government has created its own catch-22 situation on children seeking asylum.
The government has come under increasing pressure not to send 13 unaccompanied minors who arrived on Christmas Island this week to Malaysia under its people swap.
Mr Morrison told ABC TV the government should walk away from the policy because of the dilemma over children.
