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Indian
students could move to New Zealand if racial attacks continue in Australia
Wellington:
Indian students based in Australia may opt to go to neighbouring New Zealand
if the racially motivated attacks Down Under don't stop. Education New Zealand
chief executive Robert Stevens said he had been in touch with the New Zealand
Trade and Enterprise office in India yesterday, urging the office to market New
Zealand and Australia as "totally different societies". There have been about
70 attacks on Indian students in Australia in the past 12 months, which left one
student fighting for his life and prompted headlines such as "Australia, land
of racists" in India. "With reports on the attacks making headlines in India,
it is not a good look for Australia. What we want to do is to remind education
agents in India that New Zealand is a different country to Australia, in the nicest
possible way," the New Zealand Herald quoted Stevens, as saying. Indian students
said the attacks in Melbourne were racially motivated. Last Friday Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern during a call to Australian Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd. According to Australian government figures, Indian students make up
18 per cent of all foreign students, second only to the Chinese. Education New
Zealand said there are 6040 Indian students making up seven per cent of foreign
students in New Zealand. In the year to April, the largest group by nationality
of international student arrivals came from India - 4108 - up from 2919 last year,
Immigration New Zealand figures show.
