Indians form the second-largest group of overseas students in Australia
google newsAustralian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith on Thursday condemned a wave of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne after the latest assault left a 25-year-old fighting for his life.
Indian student Sravan Kumar Theerthala was stabbed with a screwdriver early Sunday morning when a group of teenagers gatecrashed a party he was attending in the suburbs of Australia's second largest city.He remains in intensive care at the Royal Melbourne Hospital following the attack, in which police said other men were also assaulted.
It was the latest in a series of attacks on students from the sub-continent which has prompted authorities here to set up a help line where victims can report incidents to Hindi and English-speaking operators."I'm appalled by these attacks and I condemn them absolutely," Smith said in a statement to AFP."Australia takes very seriously its reputation as a safe destination for Indian students."
However, Victoria state police estimate Indians make up 30 percent of robbery victims in Melbourne's western suburbs, where many of the students live.But police have played down any racial motive for the attacks, saying the Indian students, who often work late shifts to support their studies, were often in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A police media statement issued on the day of the Theerthala attack made no mention of the victim's Indian background and portrayed the incident as a simple clash between partygoers.
Federation of Indian Students in Australia (FISA) president Amit Menghani said earlier this month that he had no doubt there was a racial element to recent attacks.
"Discrimination is always there," Menghani said.
"Indian students are being targeted and attacked. The level of crime is increasing and it's a concern for the student community."
He said Indian students were seen as easy targets because "we're humble people and we don't carry any weapons".
But Menghani said Indians would examine studying elsewhere if they did not feel safe in Australia. The violence has already prompted headlines such as "Australia land of racism" in Indian online media.
Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard this week said she would meet with students to discuss the issue."I want to send a message loud and clear that international students are very welcome in this nation and Australia will not tolerate discrimination against or victimization of any of our international students."
Why do the attacks keep occurring in Aussie land? Is it racism? or simply the fact that Indians are too nice as stated in the article? or is it because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time? What do u guys think? But the problem is already stirring up and Aussie land is being called "the land of the racism"? Should something be done to protect the Indian people in Aussie land? like req. each Indian to carry a gun or something along those lines?
