Attack against Chinese students on Australia train prompts fury online

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An assault against two Chinese students on Monday on a train from Sydney whipped social networks into a fury in both countries, prompting a reaction from local legal authorities.

Police said six people, aged 14 to 18, robbed passengers, including two Chinese students, on a train between Sydney and Rockdale around 12:30 am on Monday (local time), the Sydney Morning Herald said on its website on Wednesday.

Officers were called to Rockdale station, where they arrested three men, a 14-year-old boy and two girls.

China's consulate-general in Sydney contacted the two Chinese and provided consular assistance on Monday night. The consulate also warned local Chinese from unnecessary commuting at night.

Local police said there were four more passengers assaulted in the case in addition to the two Chinese. The six suspects were charged with robbery and assault offenses on Tuesday.

"We hope Australia can beef up public security and provide better circumstances for expats in the country," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said in a response on Wednesday.

Hours after the assault on Monday, blogger XuanHao, who claimed to be one of the victims of the attack, posted messages about the assault on weibo.com, a leading social network in China.

A picture showing a bruised nose was also attached to his micro blog, which received thousands of comments within the first day and was forwarded throughout major social networks in China.

On Wednesday, however, the Chinese micro blogger deleted all the blogs related to the assault's details to "ensure his privacy and eliminate rumors in the comments attached to the posts".

Yet online fury and looming concerns were sparked over the safety of international students in Australia.

（中國日報網英語點津 Julie 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.