From the Hobart Mercury:

Refugee suffers racial attack in mall
Philippa Duncan
20/12/06

A REFUGEE who saw people beheaded and raped in Sudaii has been told to go back to her own country and called a “stupid nigger” in the Hobart bus mall.

Paska Ochio, who was walking with her 15-year-old sister Pamella, was abused, mugged and bashed by a group of up to 10 teenagers and young adults on Friday.

Police have “strong leads” and are seeking withesses to the assault, about 8pm.

Acting Inspector David Richardson said the abuse had been “exceptionally racist”.

Miss Ochio said the group had asked her for money and then started to abuse her.

She said a man had snatched her handbag and two sisters had pulled her hair and punched her in the head.

“Then all of them came at me, bashing me,” she said. “I was on the ground fighting the two sisters.” Miss Ochio’s boss John Burrell said the assault had been cowardly and people had to realise what African refugees had seen and endured.

“They have seen genocide, rape, murder, beheadings,” he said.

“What a gutless act to bash a person in a group, steal her belongings, leaving her faice down in the street” Rebels killed Miss Ochio ’s parents when she was two and she spent the next 13 years on the run with her siblings.

As Tasmanian children were going to school, she was witnessing rapes, murders, even beheadings in the country where civil war has killed more than 2 million people.

Five years ago, the then 15-year-old moved to Kingston with her family to start a life of peace.

“I felt safe as soon as I got off the plane,” she said.

“I knew that the rebels could not get me here.” Yesterday, Miss Ochio said she was now scared to go out alone at night and felt nervous when around large groups of young people.

“I get really scared and think they will do the same thing so I walk away,” she said.

But she said Tasmania was still a safe place and there were “a lot of lovely people”.

“But some people need to change,” Miss Ochio said.

“We are all the same people, just the colour is different, we have the same blood.

“We just have to learn to co-operate with each other.” She said she was used to being called names but never believed she would be bashed.

“Old people, young people, they call me names,” Miss Ochio said.

“If they are drunk I don’t really mind.

“But when they are sober it does upset me because they know what they are saying.”