Students fear racist attacks
JARRAD BEVAN | July 11, 2010 12.01am
ANGRY and scared international students gathered at Parliament House yesterday to voice concerns about their safety.
Following the death of Zhang "Tina" Yu and similar violent crimes in New South Wales and Western Australia over the past three years, many students from overseas remain frightened, say representatives of ethnic communities.
Yesterday's meeting, organised by the National Liaison Committee for International Students, heard stories of violence and intimidation from many students.
NLC communication executive Mark Choo said African, Chinese, Indian and Muslim students felt "nothing is being done" to ensure their safety.
"They feel let down by the University of Tasmania," he said.
"People are scared, angry and alone. They told us that they are fighting a hard fight by themselves."
About 50 students attended the forum.
Mr Choo said the committee did not condone retaliation or violence of any type.
However, students were being pro-active about safety issues.
"Some people have formed patrols to escort each other in safety," he said.
"Others have been taking self-defence classes."
University of Tasmania deputy vice-chancellor David Rich said the university strongly condemned violence or vilification against its staff and students, adding that racially motivated violence was as much a community issue as it was a campus issue.
Professor Rich said the university was continuing to work with Tasmania Police to address concerns about the safety of its students in the community.
"It is distressing when any of our students are victims of violence in the community," he said.
"The university offers advice and information to all students and staff about services and support areas provided within UTAS to improve awareness about safety on and off the campus."
http://www.themercury.com.au/art ... _tasmania-news.html |
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