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Now, Sri Lankan students targeted

MELBOURNE: After Indians, a group of students from Sri Lanka have been allegedly attacked in Australia, with three men smashing the windows of their home, taunting them with “racist insults” in Macquarie in north Canberra. It is alleged that the three attacked the house after an unsuccessful attempt to crash a party. The students alleged that a car window was also broken.

Police were investigating the allegations of attacks, ABC News reported. One of the students, Dijula Wijesuriya, said he had been threatened with a knife. “This guy comes up and takes out a knife and says ‘get out of our streets,’” he said.

Mr. Wijesuriya said they had been living in fear, especially considering the recent violence against Indian students in Sydney and Melbourne. “We really don’t go anywhere, we just stay at home, just go to university and come back home straight away and lock the doors and stay inside.”

India Australia Association of Canberra president Madhu Kalia said she was surprised by the incidents.

“So far Canberra had been alright. There had been no attacks on students,” she said.

Police said they had investigated several incidents but have not received any reports that they were racially motivated.

Indian students alleged that Lebanese youths were behind the racially motivated attacks on them in Sydney, even as they took to the streets for the third consecutive night protesting against racial attacks. The protesters alleged that police were ignoring their pleas for protection. The protests came a day after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned Indian students against “vigilante action.” — PTI

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Now, Sri Lankan students targeted

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