ID :
64453
Sat, 06/06/2009 - 16:18
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/64453
The shortlink copeid
Another Indian student assaulted in Oz
Natasha Chaku
Melbourne, Jun 5 (PTI) Notwithstanding assurances by the
Australian government that it would not tolerate racial
violence, another Indian student was beaten up by a group of
youths here Friday, the 10th person from the community to be
assaulted within a space of a month.
20-year-old Amrit Pal Singh from India's northern state
of Haryana, who is pursuing a course in community welfare from
the Caps Institute of Management here, was assaulted near a
McDonald's outlet when he was walking to the place where he
worked on the part-time basis.
"One of the guys came to me and took off my mobile. When
I asked him to please give me my mobile back, he gave me a
punch on my face. I also gave a punch to him. Following which,
his four friends came and started beating me," Singh said,
adding "I have told the police about the incident."
"One of the attackers took out a knife to hit me but I
escaped as it hit my bag," he told PTI.
Singh was the 10th Indian student to be attacked within a
month. One of the victims, Shravan Kumar, a student from
Andhra Pradesh, remained critical after being stabbed with a
screwdriver by a group of teenagers in a racial attack that
also left his three Indian friends injured here last month.
The latest attack came despite the Australian government,
including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Deputy Prime Minister
Julia Gillard, pledging to take all steps to prevent such
incidents.
In a statement, the Consulate General of India in
Melbourne said that it would like to express its gratitude to,
and appreciation of, the Indian community in Victoria, which
reacted with concern and with positive action "to ameliorate
the tense situation in the last two weeks."
It said it sincerely hoped that these efforts to help the
Indian students would continue in a coordinated manner.
"The Consulate once again assures all members of the
Indian community that we will work with any association,
organisation or individual who approaches us with a
constructive suggestion or with information that can help us
formulate positive action steps to address any and all
concerns that the Indian community and its members may have,"
it said.
Meanwhile, the Premier of the state of New South Wales,
Nathan Rees, met members of the Indian community to assure
them that they would not be subject to any violence as
witnessed in Victoria, mostly in its capital Melbourne.
The authorities in the state, which hosts 20,000 Indian
students, claimed that they had no intelligence report to
suggest that Indian students were being racially attacked
because they were perceived as "soft targets."
Separately, Australian media professionals of Indian
origin expressed their disappointment over the Indian media
reports "sensationalising and racialising" the incidents.
These professionals, in a statement, expressed full
confidence in the Australian government in tackling the issue.
PTI NC
PMR
NNNN
Melbourne, Jun 5 (PTI) Notwithstanding assurances by the
Australian government that it would not tolerate racial
violence, another Indian student was beaten up by a group of
youths here Friday, the 10th person from the community to be
assaulted within a space of a month.
20-year-old Amrit Pal Singh from India's northern state
of Haryana, who is pursuing a course in community welfare from
the Caps Institute of Management here, was assaulted near a
McDonald's outlet when he was walking to the place where he
worked on the part-time basis.
"One of the guys came to me and took off my mobile. When
I asked him to please give me my mobile back, he gave me a
punch on my face. I also gave a punch to him. Following which,
his four friends came and started beating me," Singh said,
adding "I have told the police about the incident."
"One of the attackers took out a knife to hit me but I
escaped as it hit my bag," he told PTI.
Singh was the 10th Indian student to be attacked within a
month. One of the victims, Shravan Kumar, a student from
Andhra Pradesh, remained critical after being stabbed with a
screwdriver by a group of teenagers in a racial attack that
also left his three Indian friends injured here last month.
The latest attack came despite the Australian government,
including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Deputy Prime Minister
Julia Gillard, pledging to take all steps to prevent such
incidents.
In a statement, the Consulate General of India in
Melbourne said that it would like to express its gratitude to,
and appreciation of, the Indian community in Victoria, which
reacted with concern and with positive action "to ameliorate
the tense situation in the last two weeks."
It said it sincerely hoped that these efforts to help the
Indian students would continue in a coordinated manner.
"The Consulate once again assures all members of the
Indian community that we will work with any association,
organisation or individual who approaches us with a
constructive suggestion or with information that can help us
formulate positive action steps to address any and all
concerns that the Indian community and its members may have,"
it said.
Meanwhile, the Premier of the state of New South Wales,
Nathan Rees, met members of the Indian community to assure
them that they would not be subject to any violence as
witnessed in Victoria, mostly in its capital Melbourne.
The authorities in the state, which hosts 20,000 Indian
students, claimed that they had no intelligence report to
suggest that Indian students were being racially attacked
because they were perceived as "soft targets."
Separately, Australian media professionals of Indian
origin expressed their disappointment over the Indian media
reports "sensationalising and racialising" the incidents.
These professionals, in a statement, expressed full
confidence in the Australian government in tackling the issue.
PTI NC
PMR
NNNN
