Safety

Ok a few things I want to say after reading through the comments..

1) Criminals exist in every society. Judicial systems are never perfect but I'd take Australia's over India's anyday - how many Indian MP's have been convicted of murder AFTER running for a seat!

2) Racism exists in every society. Every Indian i met in India called me a 'gora'. 'Gora' is reference to my skin which is white. Is it ok to tag someone according to their skin colour? According to many Indians it was - I also had many 'chinkie' friends from the north east in Delhi who were treated like dirt because of their origin. Some Australians refer to Indians by their skin colour but at least here it is frowned upon and the media/govt/schools are committed to stamping it out.

3) Generalisations about other countries or their citizens aren't helpful. For instance, if I said that the reason some young Indians are getting into trouble (as opposed to generations of peaceful and productive generations before them) was because many have chosen courses that are actually of no use to anyone(apart from thankful consultants in India and universities here); that life in the West is not the wonderland they see on cable tv and that perhaps they are not clued up enough to exist in a western city....if I said that it would be a nasty and unhelpful generalisation.

4) Police are dumb. They're dumb in India and they're dumb here. They're also underfunded and trying to deal with countless ethnic based criminal gangs and issues. Indian students are just another one on the list. Perhaps trying to engage with the police is better than attacking them in the media.

5) Those Indian students that have resorted to peaceful protest here or in the streets should be applauded. Most Australians would much prefer that to club wielding psychos in Commodores.

6) To FISA: Are you guys serious? Boycotting the march today in Melbourne because you weren't allowed to speak? It was about much more than you. What about the Afghan refugees who travelled overland and risked their lives to be here? Or the Somalians who have seen terror and destruction of such magnitude it would make our stomachs turn? Australia and Melbourne have massive populations of people from all over the world (including India) and we're proud of it and welcome everyone. Grow up and engage instead of grandstanding for the media.

that's all. I'm going out to eat some thali.

Good for Indian students for speaking out on injustice but they must rember they come from the land of Ghandi.

Some of the means of protest used particularly in Harris Park appear to be rioting, not protest. The media coverage of these events have resluted in bad public sentiment on the part of average Australians which is not what this campaign needs. The Indian community has been painted in a bad light with images of students carrying sticks and not listening to the pleas of Harris Park residents whose property has been somewhat damaged. All the while the Lebanse community has gotten off quite literally "scot free". Indian students must remeber Australians of Anglo Saxon backgrounds aren't perpetrating the violence and therefore not slander them which only increases the negative perceptions of the Indian community.

Gandhi was one man, who by peaceful means made one of the worlds greatest empires give up the third largest country in Asia. Following in his example Indian students should engage in peaceful protest if not for themselves then for other people with Indian heritage living in Australia. The images of violence flashing across Australian TV has fuelled racism against Indians as a whole. Indian taxi drivers are told to "go home" by Anglo Saxon Australians; wouldn't you think or say the same thing about or to an Anglo Saxon Australian if they were rioting in India?

With every right comes a responsibility. Every human being has a right to safety but with that right comes the responsibility to ensure ones own safety aswell. This is not excusing the attacks nor justifying them but simply reminding people that they are the protectors of their own saftey. Try not to move around alone at night, especially in an area like Harris Park and furthermore hide valuables. This is not giving in to violence but looking after ones self and others. Report incidents when they happen; the police can be "slack" and in many cases are but Indian students must persevere and report every incident. Only then will there be statistics and proof; if there are reports on paper the Police can't respond with "crimes haven't been reported". Doing the right thing dosn't always mean a reward or in this case a prosecution but none the less one should do the right thing and reporting a crime is the right thing to do.

This campaign needs to be handled the right way, only then will Australians with Indian backgrounds get support and earn respect.

If the Aust govt response is nearly same for Racism crime vs crime against soft target.

It makes better sense to raise it under crime against soft target.

This can be practical way to get more support from local admin and Aussies.

There is lot of suggestion what Aus Govt, Indian Govt, Local Indian community should do to help students.

Why don't the students share what they have done to help themself? What safety measures have been taken by them?

Surely India's situation is much worse. They must be used to helping themselves in India or do they trust their police? In India single girl can't go after dark in many places. Do they then protest about their rights to move freely anywhere anytime?

The protest was good but it is easy to assemble like a crowd for one day. Students will need to show unity and planning in everyday life. They will also need to do more to win over faith of local Indian community. I hope they appraise new students about dangers.

Aus govt clearily tells their citizens dangers at other places. Also it tells how much responsibilty Govt can take to protect you abroad and rest is your own responsibilty to decide to go somewhere or NOT.

At the end security has a cost like PPL live in expensive suburbs to feel secure. I don't condone crime and I hope police system changes if not students should budget security cost in decisions.

It was reported in today's AGE Newspaper (11/06/09) that the Indian students were ordered by Police to move on from St Albans station and to break up their groups or else they would face a $220 fine.

The Government and judiciary have failed to provide any support for International students whatsoever and now students will be fined for congregating in a group because they try to protect one another.

If someone was fined for being in a group and causing no trouble then they should not pay the fine but take the matter to court.
Where did that come from? A fine for being with your fellow students and trying to look out for each other? That is discrimination.

The Police Unfortunately have always had an uphill battle because the criminal perpetrators if they do go to court for their crimes in Victoria in particular get a slap on the wrist in the Court.
Taxpayers pay Judges Salaries and the same judges are facilitating crime. They are the No1 Facilitators of crime because instead of dishing out justice they play with lives and criminals get a slap on the wrist. The fear is not their for criminals. You do the crime and you get very little time.

Yes that's why there are criminals roaming around day and night with dozens and hundreds of criminal convictions under their belt. How many chances do you get? Well in Victoria many.

The justice system is a revolving door for criminals. And who better to victimize? Asian International students because they are perfect easy targets because of their soft passive nature and the good chance they are transporting goods and money because they are in a foreign country. The criminals know this, target their victims and hit. They are unchallenged.

But above all that the Judges and Politicians are ultimately responsible for not making the laws tougher for criminals.
What would happen if a Politicians child was robbed or assaulted or murdered? Would the feeling be different?

Indian International students and other International students in Victoria who have been victims of crime should let their fellow countrymen and friends back home know the truth and harsh reality of studying in Australia. Contact your Embassies, newspapers, get on the Internet and warn your fellow countrymen because what is happening is wrong. We are talking about safety because if we look at being ripped off at every turn and corner by Shady landlords, Agents, Schools, and other service providers then the whole package really stinks.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was quoted in Fairfax media today that Australia is a very safe destination for International students. Mr Rudd you are not practicing what you preach. Mister Rudd is not on the ground in the firing line and cannot obviously feel what he doesn't see or experience.

Mr Rudd and the other Politicians who sit on their hands will cost the Australian economy hundreds of thousands of jobs and Billions in lost revenue because Ultimately Asian International students will go to other countries to study.They don't need this kind of trouble and danger.
But something perhaps worse will be the lost opportunities to further enrich Autralian culture by what these young Visitors offer.

My husband and I are Indians and we both lived in Melbourne while he studied here. We continue to live here, now as permanant residents of Australia. I'd like to thank you for taking up the recent issues in your article.

I don't believe that all Australians are racist and it is possible that not all the attacks against Indians have been racially motivated. As is apparant from most reports of these attacks, the most frustrating part has been the appalling response (or lack of it) by the Police force.

On one hand, Indian students have been called 'soft targets' and on the other, have been told to abandon their efforts at protecting themselves and to leave that job to the Police. Worse than the obvious paradox, is the focus of these comments on the victims of these crimes rather than the perpetrators.

I would like to point out one of the main concerns that Indian students (possibly all international students) have regarding their safety in this country - THEY APPEAR TO HAVE NO RIGHTS. Of course, Human Rights are there for the asking, but most, if not all Indian students don't believe their requests for these will be heeded. And who can blame them? If they report a crime, they're ignored. Worse still, if they retaliate, they fear that all they will gain is a 'police record' and the possiblity of being deported. Hence, it can be said that the system (or lack of one) causes and breeds the so-called 'soft targets' - for, what choice do they have, really?

I am not writing about these matters out of a pure academic interest - my husband and I have both been victims of racial slurs, both verbal and physical. We have never reported any of the incidents for the above reasons. We know others who have had similar experiences or worse, who have reported their experiences to the Police to no avail (I believe they were told they would be contacted but the Police did not attempt to take down a contact number/name??!). These people have chosen not to report further crimes as a result of this apathy. This can only lead to an unhealthy trend of unreported crimes which in turn can only lead to a misrepresentation of the safety standards for all Australian residents.

International students need to be educated on what, if any, rights they have in Australia.It would be a step in the right direction if Human Rights above all, were taken seriously by the Police force and other authorities. That would truly mean equality for all.

Oh, and I must say, I find it absolutely disgusting and incredibly insulting that one of the key points that has been stressed upon by the Australian government is the economic contibution of international students. It seems that is the only reason they have taken note of the matter at all. Human life, apparantly, has found itself a dollar value. But I guess, they must be thanked for pointing out the leverage that international students now have.

Kudos to the Indian press and writers who have chosen to challenge the system as it is today. Had it not been made an international issue by the Indian press, I doubt many of us would even have heard about it.
LD

THIS IS A MESSAGE FOR ALL INDIANS ..IF YOU WANT TO REDUCE THE THIS RACISM , MY ADVICE IS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE TO PATROLLING OR TOGETHER ON EACH PLATFORM WHERE YOU GUYS ARE LIVING
AND WATCH ALL THE ACTIVITES OVERTHERE AT NIGHT.
THATS IT..
THANX....

"One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly
mocked, but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered."

-- Michael J. Fox

Keep your heads held high guys, we can't be brought down so easy.

Siobhan

The recent attacks on Indian students are ugly, disgusting and appalling. The responsibility lies solely with the Australian Government, the state Governments, the Attorney General, Justice Departments, etc.

These recent attacks on Indian International students are the incidents that we hear about. The actual incidents of assaults and racism, robbery and so on will be much greater.

All Asian students are seen as 'soft-targets' by criminals. To give International students some obscene perspective look at it like this.

On the streets of Melbourne there are criminals freely causing daily misery on International students unchallenged. The criminals have found their niche targets, (International students ) for several reasons. An Asian student who is a crime victim will be given less justice or sympathy by the Judiciary than say a female with blond hair and blue eyes. So is there Racism? Of course.

But worse still is that the criminals roaming around committing crimes like robbery on Asian students have criminal convictions for dozens and even hundreds of convictions.

Why are they on the street? How many chances do you get? In cities like Melbourne they get many chances and are free to roam around destroying students lives.

The Australian Government considers robbery as 'petty'. But it is not petty if you are an International student and have just been robbed of all your money, ID, Passport, your rent, Bond, school fees, etc. after leaving the bank and followed by the criminals who snatch your bag or rip the backpack off your back.

And things just keep going round and around and around. Crimes continue, so called 'petty' criminals become more brazen and their confidence greater to commit daily robberies on Asian International students.

This is an Indian forum so all Indian students should contact the Indian Embassy in Australia for help to pressure the Government here and the media back home. Travel warnings must be issued about the dangers of studying in Australia for Indian students.It is not a safe destination if you are an Asian International student. Most students have been the victim of crimes like robbery at least once during their studies.

The Governments website 'study in Australia' which is linked to all Australian embassy websites for prospective Travelers to Australia makes no mention whatsoever about safety issues. Australia has issued Travel warnings for several countries. The Australian Government makes no qualms at all about being explicit and detailed about safety issues in most countries. The DFAT (Department of Foreign affairs and Trade) has some kind of warning on most countries.

The Autralian Government welcomes the Billions of Dollars of direct and indirect foreign investment in to Australia by Asian International students. The same goes with the Universities. Yes Asian International students are the big cash Cow for the economy. Once the students get here then they are on their own without adequate support and protection. If you are the victim of crime then it is a sad state of affairs.

In the meantime the government and justice minister or Attorney general face the media once in a while boasting how crimes are down and everything is rosy. Wow it would really not look good for the Government to announce that crime is out of control and the very people they are drawing to Australia to study are being targeted daily in huge numbers by criminals.

Very little of this is making it in the media for some reason because these crimes have been occurring since the majority of International students began flocking here almost 20 years ago.

What would the message be Internationally if the whole world new the truth about the slaughter and misery thrust on Asian International students once they arrived in Australia? Not a good one so the portrayal continues of a Nirvana down under where Asian International students are most welcome. Translation- (Your money is welcome),and any problems don't count on the judiciary or the Government for help.

Shame on the Government!

In India the soco-economic situation is such that if problem is to be solved collectively everybody avoids his share and thinks let others do it. In the end no body does till the situation is too bad.

You will need to unite to coordinate response and counselling of fellow students.

It is best you have a written counselling material on safety and understanding Australian system of public services like role of police etc..

The more ground work you do in this area rather wait for events to happen.The better it will work.

You will need to report each incident.

If you make any irresponsible statement. Nobody will stop you because it helps the opponent. However it will work against you without you being aware and you will simple wonder what happened. Don't make your case weak by saying first and thinking later.

If you say all Australians are racist, you simply lost the plot. Saying this is also a racist comment. By saying this you loose all grounds to attack. If you make racist statement you loose right to call others racist. It is that simple and I hope you understand. You need plan not rhetoric to be effective.

Having read the comments regrding safety and racisim I have never been more insulted in my entire life. I havent seen one comment saying "some Australians", its "Australians", hence the entire Australian population is racists, which includes me and I take offense to that. I am not a racist and dont appreciate being labelled one. I spent 4 years living with other nationalities at a university accommodation and went out of my way to be friendly and helpful regardless of race and as a result have a number of friends (indian mainly) that I still keep in contact with. And generalising all Australians as racists is a form of racism as well.

Indians are found of giving unwanted advice so I couldn't resist.

Media in India is creating hype I guess congress wants to open up education sector and media has ben told to fuel the debate to justify its policy.
There are problems with any system. Some our not in our control. Some we can. I will suggest what can be done not what should be done or what is fair etc..

May be it is already happening and I am just repeating. Students need counselling to understand Local safety issues and how system works in different places. So here I go ......................

a) Some Indians feel meaning of democracy is if many PPL say something or bully by shouting it becomes fact. Or if this doesn't work they think by talking with manners is doing favour and that should make others to accept what they say as fact. May be in India this works due to vote bank. It will have limited success here and nor they are vote bank here. In Australia things work best by providing evidences, substantiation and a procedure to escalate. And if the results are not satisfactory there is not much choice but to go back.

b) Cops are as useless here like in India but expensive in Australia. An inmate in prison costs a lot. Don't expect too much. If you are used to take care of yourself in lawless India don't expect Australia to be perfect. Indian culture is more hypocritical. The govt is not suppose to except reality and make practical suggestions. In Australia public is told about drugs, crimes, social issues in practical way and how far Govt will take responsibility. In Australia Doctors never tell lies to patients to make him happy. Govt never claims that they will make system perfect. They don't lie for the vote bank.
Public can only sue Govt for negligence as per law or vote out at voting. The protest and opnions work better in India.

c) Govt is aware many student are for PR. They will suffer but won't go back easily.

d) With economy down foreigners leaving in cheap suburbs are easy crime targets.

e) There can be some racial abuse in crime but it is hard to substantiate it is incidental or motivational factor. Criminals can abuse deliberately to confuse investigation. Physical assault can be the result of cultural misunderstanding in handling criminals.

f) Cops in all part of world treat each offences separate and on its merit. Cops don't follow investigation by public.

g) level of co-operation between local Indian community and students is quite mediocre. Why? My experience in public travel is that many student behaviour is not the best.

h) Racism, castesim is as good or as bad in all parts of world. What happens in India ( recent news two women raped in Kashmir by cops?). Saying racist to others is like a Pot calling the kettle black

This is my general view though as an indivdual each student won't be same and I am not trying to say every person is a sterotype and will fit with my view.

Indian students form groups to protect themselves in Australia
By ians on Friday, June 5th, 2009 under Education, World
Melbourne, June 5, The string of attacks on students from India while travelling on late-night trains has forced them to form groups to protect themselves in this Australian city. Every night this week students and workers have gathered at the western suburbs station of St Albans to provide safe passage for Indian commuters, The Age reported Friday.

“Their action is in response to racist taunts and abuse on trains, and bashings while making their way home.” The community had no option after incidents of intimidation in which train inspectors failed to intervene and police failed to respond to calls for help, the newspaper quoted commuter Gary Singh as saying. A group of 100 to 150 mostly Indian men meet outside the station.

The group waits at the station every night from 9.30 p.m. until the last train. Then it is divided into smaller groups that are assigned to street corners to prevent attacks. On Tuesday night, a long knife was flashed at Singh and two of his friends. Singh said he called police and pointed out the youths but “the police didn’t check on them, they just told us to go home”.

“We are not giving up,” he said. “We are here to save our friends. We are not getting any protection from police or from the railways.”Another youth Amrinder Singh, 21, said his former housemate was badly beaten on his way home 18 months ago. Six months later he was punched in the eye by a group of five, including a girl. It took police 90 minutes to arrive.

Inderjeet Singh, 20, an automotive student at RMIT, spoke of arriving on the 1.05 a.m. train and as he walked home with four friends, a car with five men lay in wait for them, armed with a golf stick and baseball bats. They managed to flee. Gary Singh said the Indian student community was fed up. “If Kevin (Prime Minister Rudd) can return everyone’s money, we will go back. We’re not here for any violence, we’re here for study.

“He can return whatever we’ve spent on rent and fares.” There has been a spate of attack on students from India. In one of the worst attacks, Sravan Kumar Theerthala from Andhra Pradesh was stabbed with a screwdriver. He was in the ICU of the Royal Melbourne Hospital and is now showing signs of improvement.

South Asia Times quoted Gautam Gupta, leader and founder of Federation of Indian Students of Australia (FISA), as saying that Theerthala has now been shifted to the High Dependency Unit of the hospital from the ICU. On June 3, an Indian student from Gujarat was attacked at the Newport Station in Melbourne.

He was attacked with a cricket and baseball bat at around 2 p.m. Another student who witnessed the attack was chased by the offenders. The string of assaults on Indian students in Australia has now gone up to seven in over three weeks. On Tuesday, N. Singh, 21, was attacked by a group of men in suburban Melbourne after they stopped him and demanded cigarettes and money.

Singh, a nursing student at Chisholm College, Dandenong, in Melbourne’s east, was slashed with a box-cutter knife carried by one of five men who confronted him in a car park. On May 30, Ashish Sood, studying at the Carrik Institute here, was badly beaten up by a group of 15 youngsters. The incident took place at the city’s Chappel Street. He, along with three others, was attacked by the group “who started teasing and bullying them for nothing and then pounced on them”.

In Sydney, hospitality graduate Rajesh Kumar received 30 percent burns after a petrol bomb was hurled through the window of his Harris Park home. The repeated attacks on Indian students in this capital of the Victoria province has led the provincial government to push for a plan that would have tougher sentences for hate crimes.

http://www.worldlatestnews.com/world-news/indian-students-form-groups-to...

abhi....

Nagamani

I went to RM Hospital to offer support to the victim Shravan. His uncle who came from India told us that two parts of his skull is removed and his recovery as a normal person is uncertain at this stage and treatment is going on. Very pathetic situation. One of the Newspapers reporting "parents too poor to travel" really made me think whether Australian Newspapers are supporting the cause genuinely. Can any Australian suddenly think of making an emergency trip to India without much financial planning? I find many people save money for overseas trips for years. So, we can not term them as "very poor". His uncle came immediately and he is attending to the boy. It is the Australian boys who are very poor attacked an Indian for a drink. It is again Australian who used his knife as he begged for cigarettes. I think, while reporting, the media should take care and we should not ignore their sarcastic remarks.

Today I was reading one of the speech given by Swamiji and I found this wonderful piece of advice. At this point of time I hope it'll help those who are having so much hatred for a particular nation or culture.

"Birth and position in life and in society largely determine the mental and moral attitude of individuals towards the various activities of life. It is therefore our duty to do that work which will exalt and ennoble us in accordance with the ideals and activities of the society in which we are born. But it must be particularly remembered that the same ideals and activities do not prevail in all societies and countries; our ignorance of this is the main cause of much of the hatred of one nation towards another. An American thinks that whatever an American does in accordance with the custom of his country is the best thing to do, and that whoever does not follow his custom must be a very wicked man. A Hindu thinks that his customs are the only right ones and are the best in the world, and that whosoever does not obey them must be the most wicked man living. This is quite a natural mistake which all of us are apt to make. But it is very harmful; it is the cause of half the uncharitableness found in the world. When I came to this country and was going through the Chicago Fair, a man from behind pulled at my turban. I looked back and saw that he was a very gentlemanly-looking man, neatly dressed. I spoke to him; and when he found that I knew English, he became very much abashed. On another occasion in the same Fair another man gave me a push. When I asked him the reason, he also was ashamed and stammered out an apology saying, "Why do you dress that way?" The sympathies of these men were limited within the range of their own language and their own fashion of dress. Much of the oppression of powerful nations on weaker ones is caused by this prejudice. It dries up their fellow feeling for fellow men. That very man who asked me why I did not dress as he did and wanted to ill-treat me because of my dress may have been a very good man, a good father, and a good citizen; but the kindliness of his nature died out as soon as he saw a man in a different dress. Strangers are exploited in all countries, because they do not know how to defend themselves; thus they carry home false impressions of the peoples they have seen. Sailors, soldiers, and traders behave in foreign lands in very queer ways, although they would not dream of doing so in their own country; perhaps this is why the Chinese call Europeans and Americans "foreign devils". They could not have done this if they had met the good, the kindly sides of Western life." -Swami Vivekananda

God bless u all,
Gaurav

Reference- http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_1/vol_1_frame.htm

Fresh attack: Indian student slashed in FrankstonAndra Jackson
June 2, 2009 - 8:58PM
A 21-year-old Indian student has been attacked by a group of males in suburban Melbourne after they stopped him and demanded cigarettes and money.

Today's incident is the latest in a spate of assaults on Indian students that have led to claims racist violence is escalating around the city.

The victim, a nursing student at the Chisholm Institute in Dandenong, in Melbourne's east, was slashed with a box-cutter knife carried by one of five men who confronted him in a carpark, a spokeswoman for Victoria Police said.

She said the attack happened at 1.30pm today as Mr Singh was leaving the college. Five males confronted him as he crossed a car park and asked for cigarettes.

Police said Mr Singh told the men he was a non-smoker. The men then demanded money and when the student refused, he was slashed across the chest.

Mr Singh made his way to a police station where he made a statement about the attack.

Police spokeswoman Senior Constable Karla Dennis said there was no indication the attackers had deliberately targeted the student. "I would say this is an opportunistic fight. It could have happened to any individual of any nationality,'' she said.

She said the student's injury was minor and he did not need hospital treatment.

However, an Indian news website said the student, Nardeep Singh, from Ludhiana, in northern Punjab state, was bleeding heavily and went to a hospital, according to his roommate.

Mr Singh is believed to have been in Australia for two months.

Police said they had no descriptions of the five men, except that two were "Australians". The carpark was deserted and there were no CCTV cameras. They have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Today's incident also comes after a vandalism spree at a Sikh temple in Shepparton, in central Victoria, yesterday.

Shepparton police tonight confirmed the attack but told The Age they had no further details.

However, website India Today reported racist graffiti and a swastika were painted on the walls and a car driven into a fence around the temple, smashing it.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/fresh-attack-indian-student-slashed-in...

abhi....

Dear students

Congratulations on the rally!

You have many, many Australian-born supporters! Is there any way we can show our support?

For example, is there a petition, are there badges, can we take part in future protest action?

All the best

James Jenkin

I think an important point that I have not seen mentioned elsewhere is that the majority of these attacks are perpetrated by thugs with an ethnic background, from what I have seen and read mainly of Asian and Middle Eastern origin; very rarely otherwise.
As such I feel that Australians as a whole are being unjustly labelled as racist.
Those who have chosen to live here and reject our laws, culture and way of life do not deserve to be called Australians.
Retaliating with violence as seen over the weekend is bound to be counterproductive and has the potential to alienate those Australians who at the moment are supportive, although personally I feel disillusioned at the events over the weekend which inconvenienced many people most of whom would be, if not actually supporters at least be sympathetic to your cause.

Hi my fellow students,
The recent acts of Racism are, wake up call for Us, to stand against it and fight. For that we need to stick together and fight this in legal and peaceful manner, However few steps in personal safety can be handy.
Keeping knives without proper reason in NSW is illegal, so don't carry any weapons or anything,
but keep a "pen" handy when you travel alone, as it can be impressive weapon if used properly, but first try to avoid the trouble if possible,call 000 if possible, never try to be hero,still if u can't avoid, face it with full strength Shout louder than them , even after all attempts you feel danger for your life, remember pen, target ribs, neck under the ear, or eyes, this will get them down quick, run if you can or hide or go near a camera and try to get attention if anyone is watching security cameras, remember in NSW laws are different,
so call for legal help and ask the laws about self defense, what can you do and what you can't.(Generally these cowards need to be five or more to be brave) always believe your intuitions.
"I am not an expert in self defense but a survivor, just sharing my experience and knowledge, surf the net and get tips for self defense ".

just thought of posting this quote.

“Perform your obligatory duty, because action is indeed better than inaction.”
Bhagavad Gita

I feel amused when authorities claim that Indian students carry money and electronic gadgets and it is the cause of these attacks. What a funny defense? Are Australian boys/students are poor enough to attack Indians and grab their things? I think the root cause of the problem is the young boys who are resorting to these kind of dirty attacks are either do not have proper brought up by their elders or do not have any elders to teach them basic self-esteem and values in life. If elders leave their boys on road to their own earning and do not take care of their daily needs till certain age, these boys become psychos and try to show their anger on those who are lucky enough to have family support. Or it could be that the drugs and other things are influencing their behaviour. Proper counselling and giving proper treatment to these psychic cases will only help Australia to safeguard their image by not being called "Racists". Even the Telstra Executives remarks on Australia a racist country is really something to be taken care of by Australian Authorities by showing in practice equality of all races in either taking care of Indians and other races while they are making money through billions of international students studying here. Not only that. We see lot of discrimination in employment opportunities too. A well educated and hard working and sincere Indian is always put aside if a white skinned person with comparitively less skills and less knowledge is available. Even at work place also there is racism. If these things continue, Education industry and Asutralian Economy will suffer definitelyas people will think of going back to their own country where they are safe and respected better. Indian are not here as beggars. If they are studying here and working here means they also contribute a lot to the country's progress.Please realise that. . Indians are not meek and when their tolerance levels are tested, they will retaliate in such a way that Australia has to repent later. Wake up Australia fast! It is in your own interest you have to do justice. Do not play with words and statements and show it in action.

To everyone who thinks he/she is a HUMAN,

Another breaking news. Another new wave to change things. Another couple of days of demanding an action, a change. But the point is, is this gonna be another "Temporary Reaction" and then "Let it be!!" kind of response or something REAL this time???????

Australia claims itself to be a first world developed country. Do the Police in a first world country, when asked for help, reply back saying - "We cant go and protect each and everyone. OR . We have got only 1 police car and 6 suburbs to patrol. OR . Why dont you stop travelling in nights or change your residence?"

IS THIS REALLY A 1ST WORLD COUNTRY????

I wont blame Australian Police or Authorities only but to you all who still got the mentality of - "LET IT BE".

Working 8 hours a day does not entitle us to run away from our moral responsibilities. So I appeal to all you sleeping "would be - victims" to wake up and put a fist against the jaw of this non-sense.

Join this revolution by joining the rally tomorrow.

WE CAN DO IT TOGETHER.

Regards,
Amit Slaria.

how many more Indian students will be beaten. lets unite 2 voice peacefully this injustice against us. i got so many massage this morning. this made me realise Indian r united. dont know if its organised by FISA. but if they havent they failed on their part. still rally will be organised and it would be done. lets unite.

SEE U ON 31ST MAY AT FED SQUARE @ 12 PM.

PLZZZZZZZZ FORWARD IT TO AS MANY INDIAN AS POSSIBLE. IT WILL COST U ONLY 2 DOLLARS OR SO....

SEE U THR..... MAKE UR PRESSENCE FEEL.......

abhi....

I'm a Malaysian Indian, and the sort of culture shock I experienced when I arrived in Melbourne shocked me to a greater extent than I expected. I guess it was because of all the stuff you read/hear about how "Australia does not tolerate racism" that's boldly preached everywhere, and yet every now and then you hear the not so subtle joke in the media that's laced with racism. I'm starting to think racism is something that's condoned here.

3 years has passed now since I've been here for studies, and I've given up on telling myself that I'll get used to it or that it'll get better. I should have kept a journal to record all the incidents I've encountered, ranging from the eloquent marriage of obscenities and racist remarks, to having oranges thrown at me while waiting for the tram, to the most recent one: being spat on the face. Slightly weird for me since that's not how we welcome foreigners in our country. Makes me wonder everyday why I left all the comforts of home, the car I had, not to mention respect, to come here and be spat on...literally. The not so funny thing is that my brother who's studying in Adelaide has had similar incidents.

Now all of us who look dark are supposed to lock ourselves indoors since we know we can't be secure outside. I personally have avoided going out unless there really is a need to.

Guess I would say if only I knew then what I know now. Then I would have convinced my parents not to take that ginormous loan for the so-called investment which now compels me to stay and work from here to pay that loan off.

My advice to anyone planning to study abroad - don't trust the brochures.

Anyway if I offended anyone, I apologize. Just wanna highlight the fact that we're normal people (most of us at least) trying to live normal lives. We've already established that Australia's not what we thought it was gonna be, so if it's alright, could we please be allowed to just do what we have to get done.

With that I must say that Australia is not all bad, there are many things that I do appreciate here. Not forgetting Aussie beer, hell yeah to that.

Hi all,

Victorian police tells us not to travel late nights for our safety. I was going to flinders from batman station yesterday 28/05/09 4:30 pm. Bunch of teenagers (OZ)or you can call them (Beggars) came and started pushing, harassing and abusing me, asked for my mobile, money and metcard. At the same time one of the attackers was recording the attack on his camera, i did not know what to do but luckily i was standing next to the emergency button. As soon as i pressed it, they took off.
I really don't know what to do or think or feel about these people because honestly police is doing nothing for sure, as we can see the number of attacks going up every day. Hope this incident would be taken into consideration.

The recent attack on Indian students is really heartening. I have also observed recently that there is no fear of harassing passengers in the trains if they are not whites. It is my personal experience and two boys were continuously making comments and making faces and publicly mis-behaving without any reason while travelling from Flinders. It is not only at me and even other c0-passengers who are from other countries are also targetted by these two boys. No one retaliated and ignored them but we were just feeling annoyed and could not do much. I think presence of some Police in each and every compartment or some security measures will help prevent the situations going out of hand. The underlying cause for these kind of incidents can also be found out and can be treated well in time to safeguard the society as a whole. I feel this is just happening more in the recent times and the number of cases are increasing day by day. We feel unsafe to travel in trains/public transport.

I'm irish live in the western suburbs & have taught @ RMIT & VU,
& now am the father of 2 kids.

Hence my early rising:

I would support a building of a group/team of people: say 2 teams of six who travel after six each night on our trains 2 protect people.

The nonsense from our police head that we should not use the sunshine underpass just goes to show that he's got no idea - it is the only way to leave the platforms.

Anybody??

ian

My music listening habits is slowly going low tone.
First because my hearing will affect in the long run. But while walking alone back home or going Uni all alone,I keep my Ipod inside the back and keep my ears open.
This has helped me to be more vigilant these days and lookout for any danger. After an incident to my friend, now i keep my ears and eyes open.
I suggest always watch your own back than watching someone elses back's.
cheers!
Raj