The Australian government has decided to open a controversial new detention center on Christmas Island, reversing its previous policy on the issue

The center was commissioned by the previous government, and completed a few months ago. The new administration had been resisting pressure to open it. But seven boatloads of asylum seekers have been intercepted trying to reach Australia in the past three months. Analysts say the government is struggling with the influx of people. When Kevin Rudd took power in 2007, he was quick to distance himself from the former government's policy of detaining all asylum seekers. He inherited the new 800-bed, A$400m (£182m) Christmas Island facility, but resisted using it, saying it was unsuitable for families. Refugee advocates who have toured the facility describe it as extremely harsh, and say that it resembles a prison. But 164 asylum seekers have been caught trying to enter the country since January 2008, up from 148 in 2007, and the authorities have decided to open the center anyway. Thirty-seven men - believed to be a mix of Afghans and Middle Eastern nationals - will arrive there over the weekend, having been intercepted in an unauthorised boat off the north-east of Darwin.