Attacks on Indians not racist: Aus panel

Amid a spate of attacks on Indian youths in Australia, a Senate committee which probed the issue has concluded that the assaults were more likely to be "opportunistic robberies" than prompted by racism, prompting a student body to say the authorities "are still in denial."

"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 Senate committee report on the welfare of international students, tabled in Parliament yesterday, found that the majority of evidence suggested that 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 as against 17 incidents of assaults in 2008. Reacting to the report, Federation of Indian Students of Australia (FISA) President Amit Menghani said the authorities "are still in denial of the major issue."

Menghani said it was not just a matter of some students not being safety conscious. The inquiry "failed" to address the issue "and it could really damage the reputation of the Australian education system again," he was quoted as saying. 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".

Rohitas Batta of the United Indian Associations said the issue was largely a law and order matter but more could be done to educate communities to bridge "cultural gaps." However, the committee report favoured New South Wales and Victoria falling into line with other states and offering travel concessions to international students, the paper said.

"The committee acknowledges that, with a lack of understanding regarding personal safety, the circumstances in which international students often find themselves may give rise to fears of racism, and they may interpret a negative experience as motivated by racism even though no such motive exists," the report said. It also backed calls for an independent ombudsman for international students, recommending an extension of the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

The report said the students should be given more information on personal safety before they arrive in Australia, which should be reinforced by providers, according to the paper. The inquiry was moved by the Greens party in June after a string of attacks against Indian students in Melbourne and Sydney prompted major street protests.