More than 80 detainees at Campsfield House were planning to go on hunger strike today (MON) in a bid to win an audience with immigration minister Mike O'Brien.

Campaigners who want the detention centre at Langford Lane, Kidlington, closed say the strike could be staged without a fixed time limit, leaving some asylum-seekers close to death.

In all, 82 detainees from numerous nations have written to the Home Office minister warning that the hunger strike is about to take place.

And they are calling on asylum-seekers at similar centres to back their cause by taking similar action. The letter to Mr O'Brien says: "We the detainees, due to your silence and lack- adaisical attitude, have decided to embark on a mass hunger strike, in all detention prison centres, if action is not taken."

They claim they were snubbed by Mr O'Brien during his visit to Campsfield last month to hand over Group 4's Investors in People award.

Campaigner Teresa Hayter said: "The detainees are going on hunger strike because they feel they have been snubbed by Mr O'Brien and they want to make a stand to demand their freedom.

"The hunger strike could be on an indefinite basis, which means that a number of detainees could become extremely ill. Something similar happened in 1994 and showed that this method of protest is a very emotive way of making a stand."

The planned hunger strike follows the collapse of a Crown Court trial on Wednesday of nine West African immigrants, accused of rioting at the centre last August. After the trial collapsed, there were calls for Mr O'Brien to resign.

John Bates, A spokesman for Group 4, whose officers run Campsfield, said: "We are aware of what is being planned. We have contingency plans to deal with this and will watch the situation carefully."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.