Two more Indian nationals attacked in OZ, PM's kin protests outside Melbourne Park

Taiwan Sun (ANI) Tuesday 26th January, 2010

Melbourne, Jan26 : Despite the Indian government having already expressed its displeasure to Australia at the highest level on the growing number of attacks on Indian nationals Down Under, it looks there is no end to the atrocities being meted out to them.

In the latest incident, two Indian students were attacked by a mob on Monday night in Melbourne.

Victoria Police arrested eight persons in connection with the latest attack, but later charged only five and released three.

On Monday night, an 18-year-old and a 22-year-old were attacked on the corner of Swanston and La Trobe streets in central Melbourne.

Senior Constable Kendra Jackson said some of the comments made by the attackers were racist.

The offenders, said to be of Asian appearance, managed to run away after the attack.

Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's nephew had to be removed by police from a prominent Melbourne venue as he was participating in a demonstration to protest the racist attacks on Indians.

Rudd's nephew, Van Thanh Rudd, was protesting outside Melbourne Park, venue for the ongoing Australian Open tennis tournament.

Rudd and his friend Sam King of the Revolutionary Socialist Party wore the white hoods of the white supremacist group, the Ku Klux Klan with the message reading 'Stop racism against Indians' written on them.

Rudd, later said that he was protesting against attacks on Indian nationals in Australia and the Federal Government's support for what he called "genocidal regimes".

The protest came as Thanh Rudd's uncle, PM Kevin Rudd welcomed new naturalised citizens at an Australia Day ceremony in Canberra.

Van Rudd's protests came after 8 people were arrested overnight for an attack on two Indian students in Melbourne.

"In this country, you could not get away with locking up more than 1000 innocent whites, but that is exactly what is happening to Tamil and Afghani refugees. It's racism pure and simple," a Times Now reported quoted Rudd as saying.

He said Australia was funding the Sri Lankan regime from which Tamil refugees were fleeing. He also said Indians in Australia were 2 1/2 times more likely to be attacked than other ethnic groups and it was time for the Government to condemn the attacks as racist.