Collective early warning of Chinese Embassy and Consulate
Yesterday (19 December), the Consulate General of the people`s Republic of China in Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane issued a collective warning on their official web pages, the text of which reads as follows:
Remind those studying in Australia to strengthen their security in the near future (2017-12-19)
In recent times, there have been several insults and assaults on Chinese students in different parts of Australia. We remind all overseas students in Australia to guard against possible security risks during their stay in Australia. Please call the police immediately and contact the Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Australia.
Australian Police call: 000
For consular protection and assistance at the Chinese embassy and consulate in Australia:
- Embassy in Australia 02 6228 3948
- Consulate-General in Sydney 02 9550 5519
- Consulate-General in Melbourne 0417 114,584
- Consulate-General in Perth 0416 132,339
- Consulate-General in Brisbane 0406 318 178
- Consulate-General in Adelaide 0423 680,789
Similar incidents of collective warning are rare in Australia and haven`t been seen for a long time, according to a number of overseas Chinese.
Chinese students are frequently attacked
Australia is one of the most popular countries for Chinese students to study abroad, accounting for 27 percent of Australia`s students in 2015, according to the Australian Department of Education and training. But reports of insulting remarks and violent attacks on Chinese students at some of Australia`s main destinations are disturbing delicate Sino-Australian relations.
Australia reported earlier today that the most recent incident against Chinese students in Australia took place on the night of October 23, when two Chinese high school students were waiting for a bus at the (Woden) bus stop in Wharden, Canberra. At least two local teenagers approached them for cigarettes, and Chinese students were besieged and beaten after refusing. The assailant also shouted, "get back to China." The attack caused one of the Chinese boys to crack his eyebrow and temporarily blind one eye.
Victimized Chinese boys
And that night, when one of the Chinese students and another friend were waiting for a bus at the station after recording a statement at the police station, they met again and were threatened.
On October 24, the Chinese Embassy in Australia strongly condemned the violence and made representations to the relevant goverment departments in Australia, asking the Australian side to attach great importance to and take practical measures to safeguard the safety of Chinese students in Australia.
Although the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Ivy Berry, Minister of Education for the Australian Capital District, said he was "very concerned" about the matter. But the attacks on Chinese students did not seem to improve. Chinese students who were victims of the attacks on Oct. 23 said they were still under attack despite claims by education authorities to ensure their safety.
On the afternoon of Oct. 24, the day after the incident, Chinese students met several members of a local gang near the station. In the days that followed, there were several incidents in which Chinese students were besieged, and some even hid in Chinese restaurants, until restaurant security drove the gang out of danger.
Australian media Fairfax (Fairfax) reports that Chinese students say they often feel threatened and attacked simply because of their Chinese nationality. Chinese students also said they had been sexually harassed on buses. The report says the situation is particularly acute in the south of Canberra.
Dora Chen, a member of the local Chinese community, said the community was "very worried about the children", the Sydney Morning Herald reported. As a result of the October 23 attacks, a number of volunteers have started to provide a ride to and from school for Chinese students on social networking sites. But, Dora Chen said, it was just an expedient. "they were scared and felt like they were the target."
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that after Chinese students were beaten at the station at Woden, local Chinese media and community groups warned that the attack could damage Canberra`s reputation as a so-called safe learning destination. Change the attitude of the Chinese towards Australia.
Is there a dispute over whether to target Chinese students
The repeated violence against Chinese students in Australia, especially the verbal abuse of Chinese identity in some cases, raises questions about whether the incidents were deliberately targeted at the Chinese.
Several Chinese students were injured in a campus attack at the Australian National University on August 25 this year.
At the time, it was reported that an 18-year-old boy hit a classmate and coaching assistant with a baseball bat in the classroom without warning, injuring four people, all students from mainland China, one of whom served as a tutoring assistant for the course.
The assailant, who claimed to be the first psychotic attack on the day, applied to court on December 14 for bail on psychiatric grounds.
In July, against China posters were unveiled at the University of Melbourne and Monash University. These posters are printed in black and white on A4 paper, with the content "pay attention!" The Chinese are prohibited here and face prosecution and the possibility of deportation if they violate the rules and regulations. It was found in many ways that the incident was carried out by a far right-wing against China white racist organization in Australia.
In August, on the first day of school at the University of Sydney, students found the words "KILL CHINESE" and Nazi symbols on the walls of the men`s lavatory in the student room of the University of Sydney.
Consul General Pu Xiaojun of the Sydney Consulate General said all of these incidents were unacceptable and that Chinese diplomats had repeatedly spoken to Australia`s goverment and, as a host country, Australia`s goverment should assume responsibility for the safety of foreign students. She added that China`s goverment has always attached importance to the legitimate rights of Chinese citizens overseas and will provide them with consular protection. She appealed to international students to call the police immediately and contact the Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Australia.
