Chinese students 'at risk in Australia'
Peter Cai
April 26, 2012 - 3:44PM
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A screen grab of Kevin Rudd's message on Weibo.
The controversy surrounding the alleged bashing of Chinese students in Sydney is showing no sign of abating as China's largest television network and consular officials warned that Australia was no longer safe for Chinese students.
Six people, aged 14 to 18, allegedly robbed passengers, including two Chinese students, on a train between Central and Rockdale about 12.30am on Monday.
Officers were called to Rockdale station about 15 minutes later, where they arrested three men, two aged 18 and one 19, a 14-year-old boy and two girls, aged 16 and 17.
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A picture from Xuan's blog.
They were all charged with a number of robbery and assault offences. The alleged robbery included racist taunts.
China Central Television, the state network with hundreds of millions of viewers throughout the country, has warned the rising youth crime rate in Australia posed a threat to the safety of Chinese students.
"Once upon a time, Australia had one of the lowest crime rates in the world and was considered one of the safest places to study. However, the safety of overseas students studying here is under threat from escalating youth crime," CCTV reported.
The news report also alerted viewers to the spate of shootings in Sydney this week and said some cases involved under-aged offenders.
The Chinese consulate-general in Sydney also posted a travel warning on its website and warned its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel after dark.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said that China was very concerned about the incident and urged Australia to improve its public security.
He refused to comment on whether the Chinese government still considered Australia a safe place for Chinese students to study.
The outrage among the students community is still brewing and Fairfax Media understands that more than 3000 students have signed a petition and are considering the option of staging a rally.
A Chinese mother from Nanjiang expressed her concern over the safety of her child studying in Australia and she said she was "extremely concerned about the safety issue over there. It breaks my heart to hear about my child's fear of going home after dark."
Peak students bodies in Australia have also issued strong statements in support of their overseas peers.
"The train attack on Chinese students in Sydney over the weekend will not be a welcoming prospect for those considering to study in Australia in future and we request an inquiry into making these services safer for our valued international student cohort,” said Chamonix Terblanche, national president of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations.
One of the victims of the attack, known as Xuan, suffered from a fractured nose and burns from a lit cigarette.
The international student from China is seeking a master's degree at the University of Technology, Sydney.
A translation from Xuan's blog on the Chinese social media site Weibo reads: "I really wish all of this is just a nightmare. However, the smell of blood in my mouth and body pains reminds me that this city is so dangerous.
"A gang of hooligans attacked us. Our noses are fractured and our bodies are covered in blood. My friend's cheekbone was crushed. They attacked us with glass and burnt us with lit cigarettes. My face is burnt and totally disfigured! Worst of all, I really hated their racist comments.
"They were calling us Asian dogs and pussies while they were beating us. When my friend tried to wipe blood from his nose, a teenaged girl stuffed my friend's mouth with her tampon removed from her pants.”
After receiving a report of the attack, former foreign affairs minister Kevin Rudd raised the issue with various interested parties, such as the Chinese ambassador in Canberra and the Minister for Immigration Chris Bowen.
The Mandarin-speaking MP also put his language prowess to use and posted sympathetic comments on the Chinese social media site Weibo.
Peter Cai is The Age's Asian Affairs Reporter.
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/national/chin...n-australia-20120426-1xn5v.html#ixzz1t85xXzk5
