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Key Points
- Tasmanian Nepali community members are expressing concern over what they claim is an increasing number of attacks targeting both businesses and individuals.
- Some Nepali business owners say they are considering relocating from Tasmania to the mainland.
- Tasmania Police denies there has been an uptick in ‘racially motivated’ crime.
He has been charged with a range of offences including attempted burglary, stealing, trespass, common assault and failure to appear.
Australia’s fastest-growing migrant community
States including Tasmania have become popular thanks to the state-sponsored visa programs for skilled migrants, and as a result, Nepali is the third most spoken language after English and Mandarin.
The number of people speaking Nepali in Tasmania, Hobart and Launceston has grown since 2011. Source: SBS
Community leader Punam Panta has been vocal about the challenges faced by community members who have settled over recent years.
“That boy is still in counselling.”
“I was working at the front desk and my technicians were behind me, some children came inside and fired a water pistol at me … these are the sorts of activities we face pretty much every day,” he said.
Due to safety concerns, Bijay Tamang says he is contemplating relocating to the mainland. Source: Supplied / Bijay Tamang
Mr Tamang said fears for his safety were “forcing” him to consider relocating.
“Even though I was talking to the police the whole time when the attack was unfolding, the police arrived at the scene 17 minutes after the incident, while the police station is just a minute’s drive away,” he said.
Milan Paudel asserts that the police response to an incident in which he alleges he was assaulted was delayed. Source: Supplied / Milan Paudel
He asserts that in 2023, the store’s glass door was shattered, and despite reporting the incident to police, the situation “hadn’t improved”.
He described recent attacks as “absolutely abhorrent” and said he and the government “would always stand up against perpetrators of racism”.
Eggs were thrown at the glass door of Moonlight Supermarket, where a message to report bullying and harassment is displayed. Source: Supplied / Milan Paudel
Ms Panta noted that other South Asian communities had raised similar concerns.
In the interim, she emphasised the importance of reporting any incidents to the police.