South Australian state premier writes to Indian students

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By Neena Bhandari

Adelaide, 28.08.2009 (IANS): The premier of an Australian state has taken the unusual step of writing a personal letter to each of the 4,787 Indian overseas students enrolled in his state, assuring them of their safety and welfare.

South Australia’s Premier, Mike Rann, has written to Indian students highlighting not only his government’s support but the extra support networks available to ensure that their experience of living and studying is “overwhelmingly positive”.

The spate of attacks on Indian overseas students, largely in Melbourne and Sydney, and the media furore that ensued have been threatening Australia’s second largest education export market. Continue reading →

75 Million Environmental Refugees to Plague Asia-Pacific

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By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 03.08.2009 (IPS): Pacific Islanders, aiming to secure their very survival, are calling for immediate commitments from the developed world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45 percent by 2020.

“For us, climate change is a reality. We have been experiencing high tidal waves, which has not been the case earlier,” Pelenise Alofa Pilitati, Chairperson of the Church Education Director’s Association in Kiribati, told IPS. “High tides and sea level rise will submerge our homeland. We don’t want to become environmental refugees.”

Climate change could produce eight million refugees in the Pacific Islands, along with 75 million refugees in the Asia Pacific region in the next 40 years, warns a new report by aid agency, Oxfam Australia.

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Uplifting Aboriginals, a Matter of “Urgent National Significance”

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Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Wadeye (Australia), 09.07.2009 (IPS): In the remote Aboriginal town of Wadeye, 420 km south-west of Northern Territory’s capital, Darwin, third world living conditions still prevail despite the Australian Government’s efforts to improve life for its oldest inhabitants.

Wadeye, formerly known as Port Keats, has the largest Aboriginal community with a population of 2,500, comprising over 20 tribal groups speaking seven languages. The family and clan diversity in this remote community, some say, has led to simmering tensions which erupt into violence every now and then.

It is hot and muggy and the only sound is that of stirring leaves in the light breeze. From the desolate airstrip, the message on the posters, however, is loud and clear:  “Don’t bring gunja into our town” and `No alcohol, no pornography’.

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