Malaysian students joining Aussie homeless for free food
KUALA LUMPUR: Many Malaysian students in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria are struggling to make ends meet and have turned to city soup kitchens for free food to fill their empty bellies, the Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday.
Citing a Salvation Army official Major Brendan Nottle, the paper reported some 50 international students who were mostly from Malaysia and South America in the queue with the homeless for free lunches at the the charity organisation’s drop-in centres weekly.
“They have real difficulty making ends meet, many are exploited in the workforce and are getting paid US$7 (RM25) an hour, gambling is also an issue for some international students,” Nottle was quoted saying.
According to the report, Nottle was explaining why Salvation Army was feeding international students on top of the city’s homeless.
However, the report did not provide a breakdown of the Malaysian students who frequented the soup kitchens.
“But when you hear their stories you realise this is one of the groups who really need these services.
“They are in a desperate situation. People don’t come here if they don’t need to,” he was quoted saying.
The report said that some international students who frequent the soup kitchens did so out of desperation and shame, adding they “do not want to bother their parents back home”.
The Australian dollar is nearly three times the value of the ringgit, at about RM2.78 based on the current foreign exchange rate.
According to information from the Australian High Commission’s website here, about 20,000 Malaysians enrol in Australian schools, universities, vocational institutes and private colleges annually.
Melbourne, the capital of Victoria and Australia’s second-largest city after Sydney, is a popular destination with many Malaysians having settled down there.
The same report also cited Council of International Students Australia president Thomson Ch’ng saying Australia to be the priciest place to study in the world.
He was reported saying many international students were startled to discover the high living costs there and struggled to find jobs to support their education abroad.