Why was Indian journalist attacked in Australia?
A young Indian journalist was
threatened and attacked after she went underground to reveal migration and
education scams in Australia that try to defraud international students,
including those from India. The
woman, working as a reporter with ABC TV, was threatened during the making of
the programme 'Four Corners' and was attacked over the weekend.
In an article on its website, ABC said the reporter went to two different
migration agents posing as a customer wanting to pass an English Language Test
without having the skills and told them that she was willing to buy a fake work
certificate.
She was able to do both if she paid between $3,000 and $5,000. The attack
assumes significance in the wake of a series of racially-motivated attacks on
Indian students in Australian cities.
The report said it was not clear whether the migration agents or the colleges
identified in the 'Four Corners' programme were behind either the threats or
the attack. "The programme, to be aired tonight (local time), will reveal
several cases where international students, especially those from India, have
lost thousands of dollars," the article said.
ABC quoted Pushpinder Kaur, mother of Prabmeet Singh who spent over $40,000 on
a flying course, as saying that that the family was now broke and her son still
has no pilot's licence. "It is a fraud. We were shown so many rosy
pictures about the school and it is not what it is really, it was just a scam.
I think the government should be more alert in these type of matters because it
is the career of the children which is at stake," she said.
Many other Indian students have told the TV channel that the aviation college
Aerospace Aviation has failed to deliver its promised 200 hours of flying time
over 52 weeks. However, Aerospace Aviation's spokeswoman Sue Davis defended the
training and questioned the level of commitment and dedication among the
particular students.
|