International - India & World   

‘Attacks on Indian students not racist’

Melbourne: Amid a spate of attacks on Indian youths in Australia, a Senate committee that probed the issue has concluded that the assaults were more likely to be “opportunistic robberies” than prompted by racism. “There was very little evidence that the assaults were based on racism or discrimination,” committee chairman and Liberal Party senator Gary Humphries told ‘The Australian.’

The report on the welfare of international students, tabled in Parliament on Thursday, found that the majority of evidence suggested that the assaults against the youths were more likely to be “opportunistic robberies” than prompted by racism.

A total of 94 cases of attacks on Indians have been reported so far this year in Australia, against 17 incidents of assaults in 2008.

Federation of Indian Students of Australia president Amit Menghani said the authorities “are still in denial of the major issue.”

International Education Association of Australia Director Dennis Murray also criticised the report, saying “it doesn’t get to grips with the issue of social cohesion.” — PTI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Sri Lanka presidential poll on January 26
Dubai’s financial woes shake up world
Outrage in Pakistan at FICCI report
Why the Dubai crisis matters
Church, police “covered up child sex abuse”
Critics unimpressed by U.S. 17% emissions cut plan
Conference on Mahatma
Invasion of Iraq “of questionable legitimacy”, says U.K. envoy
‘Attacks on Indian students not racist’

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu