In 1993 ,three Cambodians held in an asylum-seeker detention center in Sydney,Austrlia,went on hunger strike and were admitted to a hospital because of their deterirating physical condition. Staff from the Service for the Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) experienced series of legal,ethical and administrative diffiulties in providing counselling for hunger strikers. Such difficulties included maintaining privacy and confidentiality; establishing clear clinical lines of responsibility; insisting on respect for autonomy of the patient;preventing confusion between the priorities of immigration officials and those of clinicians;attemting to mitiate the immediate atmosphere of persecution which compounded the strikers past traumatic experiences,and ensuring "routine" psychiatric care was provided when necessary.A review of existing international provisions governing the behavior of health professionals attending hunger strikers is offered,with special recommendations being made to meet the particular needs of asylum -seekers