CANBERRA -- More than 30 asylum seekers facing repatriation escaped from a remote Australian Detention Center on Friday as a hunger strike at the camp entered its fifth day.

The asylum seekers escaped from Woomera Camp, one of six controversial centers in Australia housing illegal immigrants, which has been plagued by hunger strikes, escapes, riots, and attempted suicides in the last two years.

The government, whose immigration policies have been roundly criticized by Human Rights and religious groups, said it was alarmed at the escape but it would stand by its tough policies.

An immigration department spokesman said pro-asylum activists in vans breached a perimeter fence at Woomera, in the south Australian desert 450kms (280 miles) north of Adelaide, and helped the detainees escape.

Four activists have since been arrested and five escapees have been captured, officials said.

"This escape was an organized criminal action and involved detainees whose refugee applications have been refused," the spokesman told Reuters.

"I'm very alarmed that people would be involved in assisting... in the escape of people who clearly are not refugees," Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said.

The break-out occurred as 162 of 210 detainees at Woomera, including 17 children, are refusing food and water in the latest and growing protest refugee advocates say is over fears of forced repatriation. Two protesters have sewn up their lips.

--- Tough Policies --- In March about 50 detainees escaped from Woomera during a mass protest and in January more than 200 mainly Afghan migrants staged a 16-day hunger strike over the time it takes to process refugee claims.

Refugee advocates have said the protesters at Woomera, which houses mostly Afghans and Iraqis, feared threats by Ruddock to begin forcibly repatriating Afghan detainees if they did not accept A$2,000 ($1,126) to return home.

Canberra has run one of the world's toughest immigration regimes since 1994, detaining all illegal arrivals while their cases are handled, which can take years if appeals are lodged.

Last year the Conservative government tightened policy further by deploying the navy to divert rising numbers of mainly Afghan and Middle Eastern migrants arriving by boat to camps in the pacific nations of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Nauru.

No asylum seekers have reached the Australian mainland in 10 months and the number held in mainland camps has fallen to about 1,200 from 2,500 before Australia sealed its borders last August. Some 1,400 are being held in Pacific Island camps.

The hardline policies garner broad support within Australia.

Prime Minister John Howard condemned the latest escape on Friday, but added the tough asylum policies would stay.

"The policy is working, we haven't had any boat arrivals for some months," he told Australian radio.