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Seven major safety hazards that Chinese students should pay attention to when studying abroad

Published time: [2007-12-6 17:08:32 ]

As more and more international students go abroad to study in foreign countries, while adapting to the foreign customs and culture, their safety issues have gradually attracted people's attention. In November this year, a couple studying in the United States were murdered in their apartment, which once again triggered thinking about the safety of international students. Summarizing the safety risks of Chinese students studying abroad in recent years, we found that they can be roughly divided into seven categories:

1. Poor awareness of self-protection

The evening of February 26, 2001, Beijing time , a piece of news from Japan shocked the Chinese people: Liu Suqin, a third-year international student studying in the Department of Earth Environmental Sciences at Rissho University, was killed near the dormitory. According to the police investigation, it was found that there were signs of being strangled with a rope on the neck of the deceased, and a bicycle was lying upside down next to him. It was confirmed that the bicycle found at the scene was the one that the victim Liu Suqin usually rode.

This is another case of the murder of a talented female international student following the tragic murder of Han Ying last year, which has deeply shocked and lamented the Chinese people in Japan. It is worth noting that last year, a week before Han Ying was killed, she was chased by a strange man when she was riding a bicycle alone. At that time, her friend advised her not to ride a bicycle home alone at night, but to take the bus*** tram instead. It was safe, but Han Ying didn't care. She just smiled and said, "It's not cost-effective to spend a tram fare in vain."

Expert tip: Single women being targeted by gangsters is an important feature of crime in various countries. Female students studying alone in a foreign country should be paid more attention to. Don’t have too close contact with strangers, try to pay attention to whether the environment is safe when you are alone, and don’t go home too late. These details may seem simple, but they are necessary means of self-protection.

2. Man-made danger

In the early morning of November 3, local time in the United States, a couple from Fujian Province, China, was killed in their apartment. According to the "Qiao Bao" report, the murdered doctoral student Yang Jianqing was originally a master's student in the Department of Chemistry at Peking University. He went to the University of Alabama to study for a doctorate. Two years ago, he transferred to the Department of Chemistry at the University of Arizona to continue his degree.

In the past two years, unfortunate incidents have occurred frequently for Chinese students abroad: on May 29, 2000, Hubei couple Chen Changqing and Wu Yi, who were studying at Auburn University in the United States, were hacked to death; in February 2001, On the 4th, Chen Didi, a female international student from Jiangsu who was studying in the preparatory department of the Kiev Language University, was shot dead in Kiev, Ukraine; on March 18, 2001, two 19-year-old international students were murdered in Ireland and their bodies were burned.

Expert tip: In the event of an accident, you must first contact the Chinese diplomatic mission in the local area and ask for help; second, contact the local Chinese student organization and ask the local Chinese media to appeal in various ways, including making an appeal online; The third is to hire a lawyer as much as possible. You can find a free lawyer through teachers or students of local law schools. The fourth is to file for high civil compensation. The fifth is to apply for insurance in accordance with international practice.

3. Intermediary Fraud

In August 2000, some recent and previous high school graduates in Suzhou obtained the study abroad information of CTL College in Cyprus from the Suzhou Private Study Abroad Service Center. After paying registration fees, tuition fees, agency fees and other fees (a total of about 120,000 yuan), in October 2000, 12 Suzhou students set foot on Cyprus with their beautiful vision of studying abroad. However, What they saw and heard next made it impossible to imagine that they had arrived at an internationally renowned college.

CTL Academy is located in Limassol, Cyprus, a town with a sparse population and no commercial atmosphere. The school's premises are quite "economical": the 3rd to 4th floors of a 4-story shopping mall. With more than ten rooms of 10 square meters and seven teachers, the college has recruited more than 100 international students with great fanfare, of which 90% are Chinese students. Students' study time is half a day, with an average of only two weeks of classes per month. For Chinese students, attending classes here is like "three days of fishing and two days of netting." In addition, foreign parties promise that students can work in disguise, but there are very few work opportunities.

Under the above circumstances, many Chinese students spent their planned one-year living expenses within half a year, most of which were more than 5,000 US dollars. What shocked the students even more was that in July this year, more than ten Suzhou students came from relevant parties. I learned that the CTL Academy diploma is not recognized by the Ministry of Education of Cyprus, not to mention the international recognition. The so-called CTL Academy is simply what people commonly call "Pheasant University". Suzhou students who had long had doubts about the college's education quality and management methods suddenly felt like they had been cheated, and asked to return to China. Around August this year, 9 of the 12 students returned to Suzhou.

Expert tip: You must be careful when choosing an intermediary, and you must check whether the other party has the legal qualifications to provide intermediary services for studying abroad. Many intermediaries make lofty claims before handling business, and they must sign a rigorous contract with them to prevent them from even having the chance to claim compensation afterwards.

4. Encountering bullying

At 4:00 in the morning on November 3 last year, Zhang Xiaodong, who was studying at Fukuoka Computer Education College in Japan, went to deliver newspapers as usual. At the entrance of the third building of the Tendai Shin-Hakata Residential Building in Hakata District, Fukuoka City, he met a fat woman in her late forties with heavy makeup. The two walked into the elevator at the same time, and the woman's head inexplicably leaned on Zhang Xiaodong's shoulder. Zhang Xiaodong thought she was drunk, and was afraid that she would fall and be immodest. He held her arm with his hand and pushed her back slowly. Who knew that that day, the woman named Gao Song whom she met in the elevator accused Zhang Xiaodong of sexually harassing her. Zhang Xiaodong was pushed to court. During the trial, Takamatsu was full of loopholes. For example, after being insulted, why didn't she go to the police station to report the crime directly? Instead, she went to the newspaper office to learn the details of the defendant before reporting the crime? A young foreigner who has just arrived and is isolated has neither understanding of Japanese laws nor the sympathy of society. Is the plaintiff deliberately taking advantage of this? Unfortunately, judges pay little attention to these issues.

Expert tip: It is really annoying to be blackmailed because you are a foreigner, but this is something that international students who have just arrived in a foreign country should be wary of. Be vigilant against those with bad intentions and don't give them opportunities to take advantage of you. Of course, if it is unavoidable, resorting to law can also be considered. Although it is troublesome, dignity is more important than money.

5. Making careless friends

On September 26, 2001, the International Investigation Division of the Japanese Metropolitan Police arrested Chinese students Li Yangming (21 years old) and Wang Shuai on charges of robbery and murder. (22 years old), the two of them are suspected of killing Chinese student Cheng Yan (22 years old) on June 26 and taking away her bank card and ring.

It is said that Wang Shuai, Li Yangming and Cheng Yan met while drinking at a gathering of fellow Northeasterners. Li Yangming and Wang Shuai were working while going to school, and their lives were relatively difficult. They heard that she was working in a massage parlor in Yokohama, and they estimated that she must be very rich, so Wang Shuai got evil thoughts and asked Li Yangming to discuss robbing Cheng Yan. They came to Cheng Yan's home together on June 26. When Cheng Yan saw that two friends were coming, he let them in without taking any precautions. Unexpectedly, the two people changed their faces later. They forced out Cheng Yan's bank number, then one of them watched Cheng Yan, and the other went to the bank to withdraw Cheng Yan's 500,000 yen deposit. After they succeeded, they killed and silenced them.

On September 22, 2000, Xu Xin of Tsukuba University was killed by classmate Xue Song; on February 26, 2001, Liu Suqin of Rissho University was killed by classmate Han in Jiangnan Town; on June 26, 2001 , Cheng Yan, a female international student from a technical school, was killed by her friends Li Yangming and Wang Shuai. On November 7, 2001, Guo Changying (30 years old), a Chinese female doctoral student at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, was strangled to death by her Japanese lover Hiroshi Sato. All four cases were committed by "friends". The cruel reality tells female international students in foreign countries to be cautious when making friends.

Expert tip: Be careful when choosing friends. Good conduct is the most important criterion, otherwise it may bring trouble or even death to you.

6. Unruly

In New Zealand, the situation of Asian students without driving licenses or driving experience driving luxury cars on the road is becoming increasingly serious. Two Chinese students who went to study in New Zealand faced deportation under such circumstances.

A spokesman for the Immigration Department said that the authorities were considering deporting a 17-year-old Chinese student because the Chinese student did not have a driving license and continued to drive despite repeated warnings from the police.

Another Chinese student the Immigration Department is considering deporting is now 22 years old. He only holds a Chinese driving license but has little experience driving on New Zealand roads.

Mike Brady, spokesman for the Christchurch branch of the New Zealand Automobile Association, said that the deaths of Asian students in the area were all caused by accidents caused by driving fast. He said that police recently stopped six people at a checkpoint driving at a speed of 150 kilometers per hour, which was twice the speed limit. Three of the six are Asian students.

Expert tip: Complying with basic local laws and regulations is the bottom line when doing as the Romans do. It is really not worth it to cause unnecessary trouble or even danger due to outrageous behavior.

7. Emergencies

At present, most of the people studying abroad are young people under the age of 25 and have almost no experience in dealing with emergencies. Since factors of international instability still exist, students studying abroad should pay full attention to personal safety issues and the cultivation of the ability to deal with emergencies.

How to deal with emergencies abroad? In foreign countries, common accidents include traffic accidents, property loss, illness, etc. In addition, there are also racial riots, coups, international terrorist activities, etc. If international students cannot properly handle some emergencies, they will often make things worse. Generally speaking, when encountering such an incident, you must first stay calm and second, seek timely assistance. International students should always know the emergency contact number and contact person of the school, the emergency telephone number near their place of residence, the telephone number of the local Chinese embassy and consulate, etc. If the accident is serious, international students should contact the local Chinese embassy or consulate as soon as possible to request help, and report to relevant local agencies for necessary investigation or assistance.

Expert tip: Here is a reminder to every international student that a passport is a document that proves one’s identity. It is generally required to show it when seeking help, so it must be kept properly. It is best to keep a copy of your passport with your relatives back home so that you can provide evidence for future reference in case it is lost.