Hindus demand adequate compensation for Indian victims of racist violence in Australia
Newswire Services
June 02, 2009
Hindus have asked for adequate compensation to the Indian victims of recent incidents of racist violence in Australia.
Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Michael Rudd should immediately tender a formal apology on national television for these incidents, visit the Royal Melbourne Hospital where victim Shravan Kumar Theerthala is battling for life, and assure the Indians and other minorities that urgent measures would be taken to prevent these in the future.
Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that Australia had apparently long struggled with the question of racism— past racist policies against indigenous people of Australia, White Australia Policy, One Nation, Pauline Hanson parliamentary speech that "a multicultural country can never be a strong country", Redfern and Cronulla riots, eviction of indigenous trainee lifesavers from the Haven Back Packer Resort because of the color of their skin, Tampa crisis of 2001, resentment against Sudanese immigrants, etc.
Anne Pattel-Gray, who in her Oxford University Press book on Racism in Australia documented persistence of racism in every area of Australian society, argued that racism is an endemic and chronic problem that must be addressed and solved. Kevin M. Dunn of University of New South Wales in his research paper on Racism in Australia, concluded, "Findings suggest a substantive degree of racism in Australia… About one-quarter of Australians report the experience of ´everyday racisms´…Most Australians recognize the problem of racism…"
Rajan Zed argued that it was highly disturbing and appalling. Anti-racism initiatives were immediately required in Australia and racist violence and growing culture of racial intolerance needed to urgently curbed.
Zed pointed out that Indians living in India and abroad were highly outraged by the growing incidents of violence against Indians in Australia, who some reports suggest were as high as 500 in the past four years (while a larger number went unreported) in Sydney, Melbourne, etc., where it was termed as "curry bashing". Besides Theerthala who was stabbed by a screwdriver, other incidents included hurling of petrol bomb at Rajesh Kumar´s Sydney residence causing him about 30 percent burns, stabbing of Baljinder Singh in Melbourne, brutally beating of Sourabh Sharma on a train in Melbourne, attacks on students in Newcastle University, killing of a man in Victoria last year, etc. There were reportedly about 94,000 Indian students in Australia who contributed about $2 billion to the economy last year.
Rajan Zed stressed that Australia needed to do deep introspection of her heart and be kind to immigrants, minorities, indigenous people, and other vulnerable groups. Culture of exclusion, intolerance and rejection should come to a halt. What happened to basic rights and freedoms guaranteed to all Australians like "The right to be protected by the government against violence or bodily harm", Zed asked.
Australia is one of the few Western countries that does not have a charter of rights. Constitution does not explicitly provide for freedom of speech or of the press and rights of peaceful assembly and association are not codified in law. Australia, sixth largest country with a GDP per capita of about $37,500 and known for its natural beauty, has the longest continuous cultural history.
Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Michael Rudd should immediately tender a formal apology on national television for these incidents, visit the Royal Melbourne Hospital where victim Shravan Kumar Theerthala is battling for life, and assure the Indians and other minorities that urgent measures would be taken to prevent these in the future.
Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that Australia had apparently long struggled with the question of racism— past racist policies against indigenous people of Australia, White Australia Policy, One Nation, Pauline Hanson parliamentary speech that "a multicultural country can never be a strong country", Redfern and Cronulla riots, eviction of indigenous trainee lifesavers from the Haven Back Packer Resort because of the color of their skin, Tampa crisis of 2001, resentment against Sudanese immigrants, etc.
Anne Pattel-Gray, who in her Oxford University Press book on Racism in Australia documented persistence of racism in every area of Australian society, argued that racism is an endemic and chronic problem that must be addressed and solved. Kevin M. Dunn of University of New South Wales in his research paper on Racism in Australia, concluded, "Findings suggest a substantive degree of racism in Australia… About one-quarter of Australians report the experience of ´everyday racisms´…Most Australians recognize the problem of racism…"
Rajan Zed argued that it was highly disturbing and appalling. Anti-racism initiatives were immediately required in Australia and racist violence and growing culture of racial intolerance needed to urgently curbed.
Zed pointed out that Indians living in India and abroad were highly outraged by the growing incidents of violence against Indians in Australia, who some reports suggest were as high as 500 in the past four years (while a larger number went unreported) in Sydney, Melbourne, etc., where it was termed as "curry bashing". Besides Theerthala who was stabbed by a screwdriver, other incidents included hurling of petrol bomb at Rajesh Kumar´s Sydney residence causing him about 30 percent burns, stabbing of Baljinder Singh in Melbourne, brutally beating of Sourabh Sharma on a train in Melbourne, attacks on students in Newcastle University, killing of a man in Victoria last year, etc. There were reportedly about 94,000 Indian students in Australia who contributed about $2 billion to the economy last year.
Rajan Zed stressed that Australia needed to do deep introspection of her heart and be kind to immigrants, minorities, indigenous people, and other vulnerable groups. Culture of exclusion, intolerance and rejection should come to a halt. What happened to basic rights and freedoms guaranteed to all Australians like "The right to be protected by the government against violence or bodily harm", Zed asked.
Australia is one of the few Western countries that does not have a charter of rights. Constitution does not explicitly provide for freedom of speech or of the press and rights of peaceful assembly and association are not codified in law. Australia, sixth largest country with a GDP per capita of about $37,500 and known for its natural beauty, has the longest continuous cultural history.
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