Naomi Woodley reported this story on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 18:10:00

MARK COLVIN: Accepted as a genuine refugee but forced to wait months for a security clearance that never came - the latest suicide in detention has reopened the debate about locking asylum seekers up rather than letting them live in the community.



The man who killed himself was from Sri Lanka.



He was detained at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney.



The Government has confirmed that the man's refugee claim had been accepted.



But his friends say that ever since, he'd been waiting for ASIO to complete his security clearance.



They say there'd been a number of approaches to the Department of Immigration to release him into community detention, but they all failed.



Yesterday afternoon he was told his an application to attend a Hindu festival today had been turned down.



From Canberra, Naomi Woodley reports.



NAOMI WOODLEY: The Tamil man was being held in residential housing at Sydney's Villawood detention centre reserved for families and vulnerable people.



Another detainee, 27 year old Tamil Ra-mees, told the World Today's Sarah Dingle that after two years in detention his friend was very depressed.



TAMIL RA-MEES: Last night he drank the poison- I don't know what poison…



SARAH DINGLE: He drank the poison?



TAMIL RA-MEES: Yeah… he drank the poison yeah.



SARAH DINGLE: Do you know where he got the poison from?



TAMIL RA-MEES: I don't know. I don't know how he got the poison.



NAOMI WOODLEY: The man in his 20s was found in a distressed state in his room late last night and died in hospital early this morning.



The Immigration Minister Chris Bowen says the man's refugee claim had been approved in August this year but he hadn't passed the necessary security checks to be considered for community detention while his final security clearance was completed.



CHRIS BOWEN: Some security clearances are complex and difficult and take time for ASIO to consider all the circumstances - bearing in mind they are considering what happened in another country, in a different place in a different time, considering that person's ongoing links with various organisations and that does take time to consider.



Now we have put in place measures to really speed up security processing for many, many people, but we have never said - we have never said - that there wouldn't be cases which are more complex, which would take longer and this is clearly one of them.



NAOMI WOODLEY: Last week the head of ASIO David Irvine told a parliamentary committee that changes made to the security clearance process had made the system faster.



DAVID IRVINE: About 80 per cent of IMA security assessments have been completed in less than a week.



NAOMI WOODLEY: But in its annual report to Parliament ASIO says keeping asylum seekers in detention while their security checks are being carried out is not a requirement of its legislation. It says the detention network is managed by the Immigration Department in accordance with the Government's policy.



Chris Bowen was asked by reporters in Sydney if the Government takes any responsibility for the man's death.



CHRIS BOWEN: We take responsibility for ensuring that people have the chance to make their claims and for ensuring that national security is taken into account. We cannot and will not compromise on matters of national security.



NAOMI WOODLEY: In its annual report the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security says it's adopting a new approach to proactively examine the way ASIO carries out security checks, rather than just following up complaints.



The Opposition also has a policy of mandatory detention. Its leader Tony Abbott was asked if he thought the man should have been moved into the community given his refugee claim had been approved.



TONY ABBOTT: The point I have made all along is that if you have policies in place which stop the boats, you don't have people in detention. Now that's a general point that I'm making.



As for this particular individual, it is a tragedy, just a tragedy and let's not try to draw too many policy outcomes from what is an individual tragedy.



NAOMI WOODLEY: The Minister Chris Bowen says the man had been at Villawood since March last year and had again recently asked permission to leave.



CHRIS BOWEN: There are Hindu festival celebrations being undertaken, or were planned for Villawood today, which all participants are able to participate in.



I understand this individual did request to leave the facility to visit a friend. Those requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and that was not approved for today.



NAOMI WOODLEY: He says the man had attended one appointment and counselling session for trauma and torture but he wouldn't provide any further details. He also wouldn't confirm that the man had attempted suicide before.



The Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young says she's seeking more information from the Government about the health care he was given.



SARAH HANSON YOUNG: The medical facilities across the network are overwhelmingly bad and not being able to cater for the needs of detainees.



Villawood for example does not have a 24 hour medical service. The medical staff are there until 8pm. This incident occurred between the hours of about 11pm and three o'clock in the morning.



NAOMI WOODLEY: The Government says the man's health care and history will form part of the police investigation and coronial inquest.



MARK COLVIN: Naomi Woodley.