Time to call a spade a spade

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There is only way in which the attack on Indian students can be described, says PREETI JABBAL

Let’s stop calling these attacks on Indian students ‘antisocial- behavior ‘, ‘opportunistic attacks’, ‘racial element’ as there is only one word for these unacceptable acts of violence and that is ‘ crime’. This mindless, senseless criminal activity needs to be addressed immediately not by the glib talking politicians, nor by the divisive Indian community leaders, not even by student representatives; the only force that can curb this appalling violence are the Australian Police.

Six months ago promises were made to increase the force by another 40-50 Police officers: were they enough? Three months ago many media outlets showed pictures of cops on beat at railway stations: are they still around? Whatever happened to the people who were accused or charged over various incidents that happened last year? Are they all behind bars? How many were convicted? How many assaults were not opportunistic by nature? There are many questions but very few answers. You and I are not privy to this important information. ‘Privacy laws, Police processes, legal ramifications’ are the reasons cited. Having a largely Anglo centric media is not helping either. who has sent her only child to a ‘safe’ country for a better future; to the father who is working double shifts to pay his child’s fees; to the siblings and friends who are waiting for an opportunity to join the ‘better life’. undoubtedly good albeit mistimed. The sole focus, earlier, and at this point of time, needs to be zero tolerance.

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There were 1447 assaults on Indian students in the year to July 2008 confirmed by Victoria Police according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Manpreet Singh from SBS Punjabi Radio also obtained controversial statistics from the Department Of Immigration and Citizenship under the Freedom of Information Act (FOA). According to that document 183 overseas students died in Australia during 2003-2009, while studying here. DIAC also added that in no way do they suggest that this is an official, comprehensive tally and as such the data cannot be presented as a complete, official record. The nationalities and cause of deaths is not yet known. DIAC also maintains that there are no definitive statistics on this since they do not maintain comprehensive data regarding details of the deaths of student visa holders.

Alarming? Yes, especially to the mother

How often have I heard people say they have come to Australia because here, ‘life has value?’ I am not so confident of that anymore. The Nitin Garg case has shaken my faith. In the last few months the Australian Government seemed more concerned with tightening immigration laws, cleaning up the education industry, closing unscrupulous colleges, than enforcing some concrete law and order solutions. Their intentions were

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A strong message needs to be sent out to the perpetrators that what they are doing is unacceptable. And I am sorry to say but a ‘harmony walk’ does not really do much. Multiculturalism is the fabric of Australian society - we don’t need to spend time and effort to reiterate that further. We need to target ‘crime’. We need tougher sentences on perpetrators of these hate crimes. We need to target that Facebook chain that is getting stronger and stronger with anti Indian sentiments. We need more police out after dark. We need less political spin. We need, and demand, safer streets.