This morning started with another report of an attack on an Indian in Australia. This time, four youngsters attacked a taxi driver from India while travelling in his cab. The Australian response would have been hilarious if it were not so tragic.
The Australians have claimed once again that this was not a "racial" attack - simply "opportunistic". I wonder what that means. I guess the Indian taxi driver gave the white Australian an "opportunity" to attack him since he took them in as passengers, and they were only using that opportunity to beat him and spit at him. Presumably, that is what all civilised passengers in Australian cabs are expected to do if given the "opportunity"! Poor chaps, we should not blame them. Does this remind you of the response to a recent rape case in Goa, where a venerable member of the assembly had accused the victim of "allowing" herself to be victimised?
The next question to ask is - how do the police know that these attacks are NOT racially motivated? Since they claim to have not yet solved any case - or made any arrests, where is this certainty coming from?
I came across a website with an interview with, seemingly, some Indian official. Both, the tone of the questions (suggesting Indian media were blowing up the cases without adequate information), and the Indian officials obsequiousness (suggesting that Australia was a better place than India) almost made me throw up. The only blog comment on the site is telling - the writer commends the Indian government advisory to students - since that would restrict Indian from taking away jobs!
The US, meanwhile, has issued a demarche to China - asking for an explanation wrt the hacking attempt on Google! Just goes to tell you how important it is for US to protect commercial interests. For the current Manmohan Singh government, on the other hand, a few Indian lives is not worth protesting over - Will someone please tell Shashi Tharoor that tweeting on visa issues is not the only job of a junior minister of foreign affairs. Writing out a demarche to Australia may be more workmanlike. But then who ever said that we had a government that wants to work.
2 comments:
Anand - Most people in the US feel that the US govt's engagement with China on commercial issues like the exchange rate, protection of IP is low. On matters of human rights it is so low as to be classified as fearful.
The first thing for India to insist upon is for the Australian authorities to admit that there is a racial underpinning to these killings and violence. It seems to be beginning http://bit.ly/6RLXpH
Actually Anand I have to disagree with u here slightly....I am not taking a view on whether the Aussies are racist or not...probably they are...but then so are we all...in our own different ways.
What I do feel is that the attacks on indian students may be not be in that category and I will list my reasons
*These attacks are happening only in Melbourne...not in other cities
*What is the Total no of such crimes...are we to believe that Melbourne has no other incidents?
*There are Blacks, Asians, Lebanese and people of many other races living/coexisting in Australia...are we then to believe that the white aussies are targetting only Indians and none of the above...
*Kakuli ( My Daughter in OZ) was surprised when I expressed concern and asked her to be careful.....her response was "what are u talking about..?"
*It has now come to light that Ranjodh Singh was murdered by an Indian couple..."
*The profile of the Indian Students is not exemplary either...alot of them fudge info ( many cannot even speak English and that is a mandatory requirement for studies in Aus)with the help of unscrupulous agents that extort vast sums of money that they can ill afford.....these "students" live in the shady parts of the city.
*They undercut the wages that the locals ask for...this causes resentment...and the locals are not necessarily white.
*Our media ( desparate for 24x7 news)picks up these incidents and repeats them till the cows come home and we get the feeling that the Aussies are on a rampage...
I do agree that the Aussies could be more proactive in reducing such attacks....but racist seems a bit stretched here....
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