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How Low Can You Go?

 Melbourne - An Indian student group has criticised reports that Indian students are being warned to keep a low profile in public to avoid attacks.

 
The comments follow a report in The Age newspaper (Thursday 19 February) that said Indian students will be taught not to speak loudly in their native tongue or display signs of wealth such as laptops, iPods or mobile phones when travelling on trains at night, as part of a strategy to crack down on violent robberies.
 
Gautam Gupta of the Federation of Indian Students of Australia (FISA), said telling Indian students to modify their behaviour is not the answer. “A mobile phone is usually the only way they have to keep in touch with family. They are in more danger without their mobiles,” he said. 
 
A special police group has been formed to combat the robberies amid fears that some are racially motivated and that Indian international students are soft targets because they carry iPods and laptops on trains late at night.
 
“The government has been handling this matter as they have handled public transport. They spend millions on workshops but nothing has changed. People are starting to lose faith in the government,” said Gautam who is on the FISA advisory board.
 
“Politicians and police must make such crimes a more serious offence, and really take this problem seriously,” he said.
 
FISA estimates that there are up to 30 attacks on Indian people in Melbourne each day. These can range from a slap and verbal abuse to extreme violence.
 
Police figures show that robberies in Melbourne's western suburbs jumped by 27 per cent last financial year, and police estimate almost a third of victims were of Indian appearance.
 
FISA is a non-profit Indian student's association that serves as a central point of contact for all Indian students, and works to create systems to generate help for students.