 |
| Ms. Chu |
In a week where her achievements are supposed to be celebrated, Refugee Week Ambassador Nga "Nahji" Chu says she has had to endure "putrid" racist comments, including calls for immigrants and supporters to be "shot at first sight".
Ms Chu, who was born in Laos in south east Asia, and her family fled the Pathet Laos Regime in 1975 and after four years of enduring Thai refugee camps, arrived in Australia to start new lives.
She has since grown her Sydney-based catering business misschu into a Vietnamese food empire in Australia, employing more than 200 people and turning over $20 million a year.
"I feel that I will always be discriminated (against) here in Australia whether I do well or not," she told AAP.
"Now that I am successful, there are people out there who say 'well you'd be nowhere if Australians didn't eat your food'."
Ms Chu said tolerating racism is just part of everyday life for her, including a tirade of abuse on Facebook during Refugee Week.
"(The comments) have been so putrid I've had to delete and ban the person making the attack," she said.
"(They say) 'Have you not gone home yet?' and 'All immigrants and their supporters should be shot at first sight'."
Refugee Week president Phil Glendenning said racial prejudice has spread as far as Canberra to influence politicians, particularly over asylum-seeker policy.
"We've got a situation in Australia where both sides of politics want to play partisan, low-rent politics on this," he said.
"In the past 15 years or so, we've seen this appalling demonisation of people seeking asylum."
Mr Glendenning said refugees have a proud history of helping build the nation and contributing to Australia's way of life.
(Someone really needs to explain why it is that white people seem to have such a monopoly on racism..)
Click Here to View Original Article
Wingspan Portfolio Advisors Blogspot
