New powers 'create Aussie KGB' From AAP 19dec01 GIVING spy agency ASIO wide-ranging powers to fight terrorism would turn it into Australia's own KGB, civil libertarians have argued. Draft laws endorsed by cabinet yesterday include giving ASIO officers the power to detain people for 48 hours without a lawyer if they are suspected of having information about potential terrorist attacks. Civil Liberties Council spokesman Cameron Murphy today said the Government plan was unwarranted, and likened the resulting organisation to the Russian secret police of the Cold War. "They (the Government) haven't demonstrated that there's public need for the powers and they really are going to turn ASIO into a secret police," he told Channel Seven. "The last time we saw these sort of powers being given to an ASIO or intelligence service was like the KGB - it's that severe." Cabinet also agreed to make terrorism and fundraising for terrorists punishable by life imprisonment, and to crack down on financial transactions. Attorney-General Daryl Williams said the new measures were recommended by a top-level security review following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US. Mr Murphy said that while there were immediate concerns over terrorism, the Government was proposing ASIO keep its powers indefinitely. "We need to be very careful of that because once the imminent crisis is over in terrorism what we'll find is that ASIO's attention will focus on innocent members of the Australian public," he said. "A response is necessary, but this is too much of a response ... the Government is going the whole hog and giving them too much power." A plan to allow ASIO to open unread e-mail also targeted innocent people, Mr Murphy said. "The powers are inappropriate and I don't think we can trust an organisation like ASIO with these sort of powers." He said security services such as ASIO had used the September 11 terrorist attacks as an opportunity to make a "grab for power". Labor has supported most of the measures, but said it would move for a parliamentary inquiry into the new ASIO powers, which the Australian Democrats and Greens have labelled draconian. Wackenhuts wacked. Detainees riot again From AAP 19dec01 WOOMERA Detention Centre in South Australia is on "red alert" after inmates rioted for a second night. Authorities used tear gas to disperse a group of detainees at the facility who lit a fire and attacked a perimeter fence late last night, a Department of Immigration spokeswoman said. That followed explosions and fires at the centre on Monday night, when hundreds of detainees rioted over the allocation of visas. "There was a further fire in the main compound at the centre (last night)," the immigration spokeswoman said early this morning. "There was also a significant number of detainees that entered what we call the sterile zone (between the inner and outer perimeter fences). "That group of detainees would not obey a direction to return to their accommodation." The spokeswoman said the detainees were attacking a perimeter fence and had to be subdued using tear gas. It was unclear how much damage was done, or how many detainees were involved. All detainees were returned to the accommodation blocks by 12.30am (AEDT). But the spokeswoman said the atmosphere was extremely tense with security forces standing "on red alert". Additional security has been imposed at the isolated facility, and Port Augusta police said they had sent a crew to the centre, about 160 kilometres away. The fire in the main compound was reportedly extinguished by detainees not involved in the riot, the spokeswoman said. In the previous night's attack, witnesses described "huge" explosions, flames 10 metres high and fires from one end of the centre to the other in the most serious incident at the facility since a mass break-out about 18 months ago. Fifteen buildings were set alight and four completely destroyed during the riot. KGB,Red Alerts,jamesd,HELP!