18 Indian protesters detained; taxi-driver fresh victim in Oz

Natasha Chaku

Melbourne, Jun 1 (PTI) Australian police detained 18
Indian youths for "breaching peace" here as thousands of
students held a massive peace rally against recent attacks on
their community, even as a fresh case of assault was reported
on an taxi driver from Hyderabad.

Thousands of students, shaken by a wave of racial
assaults, including on 25-year-old Shravan Kumar who is
battling for life in a local hospital, blocked the busiest
street of the city, demanding justice.

The protest, however, was called off early Monday
morning after the protesters accused police of "ramrodding"
them to break up their sit-in.

The identities of the 18 detained were not yet known and
it was also unclear whether they were still under detention.

Speaking to the Parliament, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
termed the spate of attacks on Indians as 'deplorable' and
gave an assurance that his government was working to bring
those responsible to justice "as a matter of urgency".

Rudd told the Parliament that he had spoken to his
Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh about the attacks, that saw
hundreds of students take to the streets in Melbourne.

As the issue echoed in Parliament, a taxi driver from
Hyderabad became the latest Indian to be assaulted here.

The victim was bashed up and punched by a passenger, who
was in an inebriated state.

The 35-year old driver was assaulted by the drunk
passenger after he expressed inability to take him further due
to technical problem in his vehicle.

The victim, who went unconscious after the attack
yesterday, was taken to the hospital by the police, who also
took hold of the attacker, a family member told PTI.

The victim, however, said he did not think it was a
racially motivated attack but an "opportunistic crime".

Rudd, meanwhile said his government will work closely
with the states and territories "as a matter of urgency" to
work on ways to help international students feel safer.

"I speak on behalf of all Australians when I say that we
deplore and condemn these attacks," he said.

"I said to Prime Minister Singh that the more than
90,000 Indian students in Australia are welcome guests in our
country" Rudd told the Parliament.

Meanwhile, describing the attacks as "profoundly
un-Australian," opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull said:
"These students are guests in our country and this recent
violent behaviour has the potential to do great damage to the
reputation of Australia as a destination of choice".

Anita Nair, Indian Consulate General in Melbourne, told
PTI that constant discussions were on with the Australian
authorities on the safety and security of Indian students.

"I assume everyone has a right to express themselves,
but within Australian laws," Nair said, adding investigations
will follow will be transparent and fair one in regard to the
detained.

Commenting on the issue, trade Minister Simon Crean also
said Indian authorities raised concerns about students being
targeted more than a year ago. He said their complaints were
being taken up seriously.

Australian Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland also
gave assurance that security will be stepped up for Indian
students, even as he justified the use of force to break
protests by hundreds of demonstrators here.

Overland said Australian police was working hard towards
ensuring security for Indian students and a representative was
being sent to India to discuss security issues with
prospective students.

"We have made a number of arrests this week and we will
continue to work harder," Overland said.

He said there was some force used after students were
given the opportunity to leave and they refused to do so.

He defended action to disperse protesters, who refused
to move from one of the busiest streets of Melbourne till
early Monday morning, saying the police was "entirely
justified" in using force to break up the protest. PTI