Immigration Minister Peter Dutton defended his claims that most detainees rioting at the Christmas Island detention facility since Sunday are hardline criminals, after Maori leaders in New Zealand said the facility has been detaining people with minor crimes for an indefinite time period. According to leaders, such petty crimes range from shoplifting to breaking traffic rules.

Marama Fox, co-leader of the Maori party, said that a number of New Zealanders are being held and subjected to tough conditions for petty crimes.

"These are people who have served their time for the various criminal offences that under this new law could range from shoplifting and also traffic violations, all the way up to serious crimes," Fox told the ABC’s AM. "A one-year jail term, as I've already mentioned, includes people who may be shoplifters, who might have had traffic violations.”

According to her, a detainee had been subjected to 15 months of further imprisonment for not filling up his log book for a number of times.

However, the immigration minister has rejected the claims of the Maori party, saying the party is spreading inaccurate facts.

"Nobody is jailed for 12 months for shoplifting and it defies common sense, so I think people should frankly stick to the facts and I think we'd have a better debate," the ABC quoted him as saying. "If somebody is here on a visa, whether they're from New Zealand or elsewhere, if they've committed a crime they have their visa cancelled. And they face the criminal penalty and administratively their visa is cancelled."

In the context of the on-going riots on the Christmas Island, Dutton said that majority of the 200 detainees held at the Christmas Island facility are hardened criminals whose visas have been cancelled after being sentenced to jail terms over one year for serious offences.

According to Fox, the frustration that grew out of uncertainty have led to the riots. The unrest have not only injured five detainees but also caused damage estimated at $1 million to the facility.

Dutton has also defended Australia’s policy on asylum seekers after facing criticisms from the United Nations. Countries that have criticised Australia’s stance included North Korea, Bangladesh and Iran. Dutton said that it is detrimental to the processes of the United Nations if countries like North Korea condemns Australia on human rights grounds. Despite the criticisms brought against it by a number of country representatives at the United Nations Human Rights Council review in Switzerland, Australia held that its policy of turning the boats has saved the lives of many asylum seekers.

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