A hunger strike at the Curtin detention centre has ended with the immigration department agreeing to send group of senior officers to meet with Afghan asylum seekers.
The hunger strike, which the department said involved up to 150 asylum seekers, ended at about 6.10pm (WST) on Thursday night, four days after the first of the detainees began refusing food.
An immigration department spokeswoman said staff at the centre had spoken with the asylum seekers and they agreed to end their protest and begin eating again.
As a result the centre's service provider Serco extended the opening hours of the dining room.
During the week refugee advocates claimed up to 10 asylum seekers had collapsed during their hunger strike, with one taken to the centre's medical centre after he became unconscious.
The spokeswoman said a total of 63 detainees were treated for dehydration during the protest and five admitted to hospital in the last week.
However, those were due to individual health issues and not related to the protest.
Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition had said the detainees were protesting over the delay in the processing of their asylum claims and were demanding answers from immigration staff.
Mr Rintoul said several detainees have been told their claims for asylum had been accepted yet they were still in detention waiting for their visa.
The department said this was due to the fact security and health checks were still to be carried out.
On Friday a spokeswoman said after discussions with the asylum seekers a group of experienced departmental officers will visit to centre.
They will conduct information sessions with the asylum seekers on the processing arrangements and the recent policy changes including Australia's recent agreement with Afghanistan.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen announced on Monday the government had signed a deal with Afghanistan which would see those Afghans whose asylum claims have failed be sent home.
The information centre would be on top of the briefings the detainees already receive from the centre's staff and their personal case managers.
