Australia has been hit by a surge in asylum claims from military-ruled Fiji, an official said Tuesday, blaming the rush for a backlog of thousands of cases.
Refugee and migration tribunal member Denis O'Brien said the boom in Fiji applications was the "most significant factor" in the overload, without giving specific numbers.
"We've had a large number of review applications in relation to Fiji applicants," O'Brien told a Senate committee.
"I think that's probably the most significant factor that's impacted on the increase in our numbers."
Australia Monday announced two extra detention facilities to cope with the arrival of more than 5,000 immigrants since January which forced the reopening of mainland centres and left some detainees sleeping in tents.
It also plans to release several hundred vulnerable people, including children, to live in the community while their applications for asylum are processed.
Tensions have run high in recent months with a number of protests inside compounds in Darwin and Sydney, including a Fijian man who jumped to his death from a roof on the day he was to be deported.
Fijian military ruler Frank Bainimarama's government has become increasingly isolated since he seized power in a 2006 coup.
Both the Commonwealth and 16-nation Pacific Islands Forum have suspended Suva for failing to hold elections, with sanctions imposed by the European Union and countries including the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
