An increasing number of Asians, including Koreans, are falling victim to what appears to be racist attacks in Australia, raising fears that these racially motivated crimes may spread rapidly unless durable measures are taken immediately by the Australian government.
In the latest incident, a 28-year-old Korean man, surnamed Cho, was reportedly assaulted by two white Australians around midnight Sunday near his home in Runcorn, a southern suburb in the city of Brisbane in Queensland. The two young assailants hit him in the head with blunt instruments. Cho was on his way home after finishing work in Australia on a working holiday visa.
That was the third attack on Koreans in the Oceania country in just three months. In mid-October, another Korean in Sydney, 33, was beaten by several people and is currently suffering from two broken ribs and skull fractures. On Sept. 27 in Melbourne, more than 10 teenagers attacked a 33-year-old Korean student, cutting off one of his fingers and breaking his arm.
The Australian government has reportedly expressed regret over the recent cases of violence against Koreans and our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it’s difficult to conclude the attacks were racially motivated.
But we have strong suspicion that the cases may be linked to racist violence targeting Asians. The Brisbane case, in particular, is believed to be a racist crime because Runcorn is a residential area vastly populated by Asians.
The latest attacks on Koreans are reminiscent of a series of violent attacks on Indian students a few years ago, which sparked massive protests across Australia. At the time, the violence prompted India and Australia to grapple with diplomatic rows for a considerable while.
Worse yet is Australia’s insincere attitude in dealing with the attacks. According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korean victim in the Brisbane case claimed that an Australian police officer even made defamatory remarks against him, saying, ``Asians are stupid and silly. We don’t understand why Asians walk around the street at night when it is dangerous.’’
In the Melbourne case, police arrested only a 14-year-old boy and let go of other assailants. Even more disappointing is that Australian police reportedly turned down a request to discuss the case by the Korean consulate.
It isn’t clear yet why such possible racist attacks are recurring in Australia but we suspect that they may be taking place as the aftermath of the White Australia Policy officially abolished in 1973. Or they may result from Australians’ antagonism toward Asians who have been occupying more professional jobs in the ``land of immigrants.’’
One thing clear is that racially motivated violence against Koreans won’t be of help to Australia, given that more than 200,000 Koreans visit the country annually in the form of tourism, studying and working-holiday programs.
The Australian government needs to act decisively to prevent similar racist crimes against foreigners, especially Asians including Koreans. Our foreign ministry, for its part, must do what it can to let Australia deal with the incidents responsibly.