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Orange Wang

China has urged authorities in Australia to “severely punish” those responsible for an attack on a Chinese student in the southern state of Tasmania last week.
Tasmanian police said on Friday that two 14-year-old girls had been charged over a serious assault on a 33-year-old man at a Hobart shopping precinct on Tuesday afternoon.
The man was being treated for head injuries in Royal Hobart Hospital and was in a stable condition.
Earlier in the week, four male youths from southern Tasmania – two aged 14 and two aged 15 – were arrested and jointly charged with Criminal Code Assault and bailed with conditions, police said.
Detective Inspector Mark Burke said that all the alleged offenders in relation to the incident had now been charged.
The Chinese consulate general in Melbourne identified the victim of the attack as a student.
“[We] urge the Australian side to severely punish the perpetrators and to take concrete measures to safeguard the personal safety of Chinese citizens,” the consulate said in a social media post on Saturday.
The consulate said Chinese diplomatic staff would make a trip to Tasmania to meet the victim, police and state officials.
It also said that the victim’s family were deeply moved by the many members of the local Chinese community who had expressed support for the student.
In another social media post on Friday, the consulate had warned of a number of unprovoked attacks on Chinese students and tourists by minors, posing a serious threat to Chinese citizens.
It said it had lodged formal diplomatic representations to the Tasmanian authorities and police over the attacks and urged Chinese citizens to take safety precautions.
The consulate also advised Chinese citizens and students to avoid direct confrontation if they encountered verbal or physical attacks from strangers. They should leave the area as soon as possible, and call the police or the consulate for help.
The warning came just two weeks after the consulate issued a similar notice to Chinese citizens after an alleged attack by two teen girls on a visiting Chinese couple in downtown Hobart.


In June, the consulate in the northeastern city of Brisbane also warned of unprovoked attacks on Chinese citizens in the city and the neighbouring Gold Coast by local youths in public areas.
In one instance, two Chinese female students were allegedly assaulted by more than 10 youths while returning from the Gold Coast to Brisbane by bus.
One person who claimed to be one of the victims of the bus attack said many Chinese students either failed to defend themselves or hesitated to report the incident to the police.
“Most chose to stay silent. This is the worst possible response, it only emboldens the perpetrators further,” she wrote in a social media post late last month.
“If you are harassed or attacked by youths, don’t be afraid. When they use violence, you must bravely defend yourself, then report the incident, gather evidence and apply for victim compensation.”
Other attacks have been reported in Sydney.
In May, footage of a Chinese couple being assaulted by multiple youths near their apartment complex spread online, prompting the Chinese community to organise a protest in June.
In response to the attack, the consulate in Sydney said it treated violent acts targeting Chinese-Australians and students in New South Wales very seriously.
“We firmly oppose and strongly condemn all acts of violence. We will do our utmost and take effective measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens within our consular district,” it said.


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Diplomacy

Assault in Hobart one the latest in a string of incidents against Chinese visitors in recent months


Assault in Hobart one the latest in a string of incidents against Chinese visitors in recent months.
