Alarmed at the retaliatory steps being taken by Indian students under attack in Australia, India’s foreign minister SM Krishna has appealed to them to “exercise restraint and be patient”. And the Universities Australia called for a “national response” and close cooperation between all education providers and the Commonwealth and state governments.
Krishna (photo above) said the Australian government has given “fullest assurance” that steps will be taken to ensure the safety of Indian students.
The Age of Australia reports: “Indian groups standing guard at railway stations in Melbourne’s west – in a bid to protect students from racial attacks – have been asked to move by police.
“The groups have been gathering at St Albans and Thomastown railway stations after a spate of assaults on Indians in the area, the latest on Kamal Jit, 23, who was bashed unconscious while walking home from the St Albans railway station on the weekend.
“A Victoria Police spokeswoman said police had already boosted patrols on the Sydenham train line, the railway stations and at a St Albans shopping centre. She said Indians conducting their own security patrols should ‘leave and let police do their jobs’.
“She refused to confirm whether two men who stabbed a 20-year-old man in St Albans yesterday were Indians lashing out after being racially abused by the victim. No one has yet been charged over the incident.
“The attack on the 20-year-old is the first time Indian students appear to have retaliated against violent attacks against them as they walk home late at night from St Albans station.
“One man, who did not want his name published, said they took the action ‘in self-defence’ after police failed to respond to their call for protection in the wake of attacks on fellow Indian students.
“He disputed claims police were liaising with the Indian community group that gathers at the station each night to protect late travellers from attacks as they walk home.” More here…
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith on Tuesday told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: “We’re doing everything we can to make sure that Indian students can come to Australia and not have to worry about their safety and security. We want very much to bring the perpetrators to justice, whatever their motivation…” More here…
Universities Australia has adopted a ten point action plan for student safety from recommendations developed by the Deputy and Pro Vice-Chancellors (International) from Australian universities, as part of a meeting convened by Universities Australia in Canberra on June 4 and 5.
The plan emphasises strong law enforcement plus necessary complementary actions.
University leaders met with members of the Canberra diplomatic community during the meeting, and guests included the Indian High Commissioner to Australia Mrs Sujatha Singh, as well as Commonwealth officials.
“To implement this plan, the University sector is ready to be involved in working with national and state/territory authorities and other stakeholders such as other education providers, community representatives and those who employ student workers.” More here…
An earlier report in Time magazine stated that Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd “had stopped short of criticizing law enforcement authorities.”
Rudd said: “Any decent human being just responds with horror at the sorts of attack which have occurred recently. But the key thing is to make sure our law enforcement authorities are doing the best they can. I am confident they are,” he told Melbourne’s 3AW radio. More here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.