Sydney: The number of high Chinese students at Australian universities has created a self-sensor environment with lecturers to avoid criticism of Beijing and Chinese students who live silent because of harassment, said Watch human rights.
Some parents in mainland China have been questioned by Chinese police about activities in Australia and Hong Kong police have questioned a student who returned to pro-democracy activities, the group said in a report released on Wednesday.
Self sensor has deteriorated because the university has adopted an online course during the Covid-19 pandemic, with Chinese students joining the class from the back of the Chinese “firewall” sensor system, the group said.
This trend compromised academic freedom of all students in class, report writer, Sophie McNeill, told Reuters.
“This erodes Australian academic freedom,” he said.
In one example, an online course removes references to a bloody square of Tiananmen in 1989, he said.
Responding to the report, the University of Australia, the peak body for this sector, said the University is committed to academic freedom, and urges “every student or staff member directly to their university if they are forced or intimidated”.
Australian Minister of Education Alan Tudge said the report raised “very alarming problems”, and the government would receive advice from the Parliamentary Committee for intelligence and security.
“Every disturbance on our campus with foreign entities cannot be tolerated,” he said in a statement.
Responding to the report, the Chinese Embassy in Canberra said “Human Rights Watch has rotten into a political tool for the West to attack and smear the developing countries.
It is always biased in China.” Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 40% of all international students in Australia came from China, or 10% of all students.
Almost one third of the income of the university sector is produced from the cost of international students.
Human Rights Watch interviewed 24 students with a “pro-democracy” view attending Australian universities, including 11 of mainland China and 13 of Hong Kong.
It also interviewed 22 academics.
The rights group verifies three cases where families in China have been warned by police for student activities in Australia.
“If you protest the CCP abroad, they will find your loved ones to make you pay.
Even if you are in Australia,” a student who was not identified in the report told Human Rights Watch, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
Students, who said he had posted “anti-government” material on Twitter, the Chinese police said had released his parents with official warnings last year.
A student from Hong Kong submitted a report with Australian police after four masked and Mandarin men appeared outside his home and chased him with a stick after he spoke with democracy.
Students sleep in his car then moved home after the incident.
He sought asylum in Australia.
Threats by Chinese classmates Patriotic, including exposing the online address details, known as doxxing, and threats to report the anti-Chinese view of students to embassies, more general, the report was found.
Human Rights Watch said more than half of students who experienced intimidation did not report it to their university.
“They believe their universities pay more attention to relations with the Chinese government and do not alienate students who support the CCP,” McNeill said.
Half of the academics interviewed by Human Rights Watch said they were censored themselves in class, the report said.
“Academic after academics avoid discussing China in class,” said McNeill.
Human Rights Watch said that the Australian government would report every year on incidents of harassment and sensors, and for universities to classify students “report” classmates or staff as harassment and reasons for disciplinary action.