It will offer direct feeds of video from the field and a chance for the audience to interact with the medical teams
The Executive director of the Australian section of MFS Paul McPhun opened the website.
Steve Rice asked him to explain the purpose of MSF.TV and its Pacific operations.
Presenter: Steve Rice
Speaker:Executive director of the Australian section of Medicine Sans Frontiers Paul McPhun
MARCH: The unrest broke out at about nine o'clock on Sunday night in the entertainment area of the immigration processing centre. The rioters caused damage to tents, electrical equipment and parts of the kitchen. Nauruan government spokesman, Rod Henshaw, says Iraqi and Iranian asylum seekers were involved.
HENSHAW: It was contained very quickly by Wilson Security - the security firm that has the contract to look after the centre. There was some damage done - some fairly superficial damage - that has now been rectified, a few of the tents were damaged or the electrical equipment in the tents were damaged, they have been replaced.
MARCH: We have heard report that knives may have been used and that a knife or some knives may be missing form the kitchen area, do you know if that is the case?
HENSHAW: I saw those reports and I have made inquiries this morning but we can't confirm that at all. It hasn't appeared in the daily report that that is the case. I don't know where that report came from and I doubt very much that is the case.
MARCH: Do we know what caused the altercation or the disturbance?
HENSHAW: No, but I'm told that whenever there is an altercation - and this goes back to 2001 to 2008 - it always breaks out in the entertainment or the dining area for some reason. In the entertainment you have TV sets and that - it could be as simple as who is in charge of the remote control. I don't know, I can't think of anything that I can pin point there. It could be a simple thing that triggered it off. Also, you have to understand these people are fairly frustrated, they don't want to be here, they are here, so they are probably pretty cheesed off, so a combination of things. I might add that although they were Iranian and Iraqis involved it was only a small cabal of them, if you like. Most of the Iranians and Iraqis opted to get right out of the way and stay right out of it as did the Sri Lankans - they took no part either.
MARCH: The police are still deciding whether or not to lay charges against those involved. Rod Henshaw says at the least, it is likely they will be issued with a warning.
HENSHAW: Their names have been noted and that should there be a re-occurance involving those three then obviously charges would be seriously considered at that stage.
MARCH: Australia's Immigration Minister Chris Bowen says the incident is not surprising.
BOWEN: Obviously when you have people who don't want to be in Nauru you can expect some disturbances from time to time.
MARCH: Minister Bowen hasn't made it clear if the rioting will have an impact on the asylum seekers' refugee claims. The opposition immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, says it should.
MORRISON: I have no doubt that if people are involved in rioting and violent behaviour then that should put them at odds with the character test and that should be looked at both from a general character point of view, which does not require a conviction, or if charges are laid it makes it all the more simple. But this Minister never uses the general character test on these issues of riots in facilities such as these.
MARCH: The Australian government has sent just under 150 asylum seekers to Nauru since it reopened the immigration centre. The Nauruan Government says it hasn't started processing asylum seekers, because the two governments are yet to decide what avenues of appeal those sent to the island will have will have if their refugee application is rejected. A number of the asylum seekers flown to Nauru have decided to return to their home country, rather than face the possiblity of being held there for years. But boats laden with asylum seekers continue to arrive in Australian waters, prompting criticism from the opposition. The Immigration Minister Chris Bowen says the government is still yet to implement all the policies it thinks are needed to deter asylum seekers from making the dangerous journey by sea.
BOWEN: This is something that will take time. I think our communications plan is getting noticed in the region but desperate people will continue to take their steps and people smugglers will continue to try and eek every last dollar out of this.
