India: Gang-Rape Victim Flown to Singapore

An Indian woman who was the victim of a gang rape and brutal beating earlier this month in New Delhi has been flown to Singapore for further treatment, while the government pledges to focus on the issue of women's safety.

The 23-year-old arrived at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital early Thursday.

B.D. Athani, medical superintendent at the Indian hospital where she had been treated, said the woman has already undergone three operations and remains in critical condition.

"Based on the advice of a team of doctors, the government of India has made arrangements that the patient be shifted in a well-equipped air ambulance to a renowned hospital identified by the doctors, involving minimum journey so that she can be provided with state-of-art medical treatment that may perhaps stretch to many weeks," he said.

Athani says the hospital in Singapore has an advanced multi-organ transplant facility, and that arrangements have been made for the woman's family to accompany her there.

She was traveling on a charter bus December 16 when a group of men on board raped and beat her with an iron rod and then threw her from the bus.

Police have arrested six alleged attackers, who are accused of rape and attempted murder.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a development conference Thursday that attacks against women happen "in all states and regions" and require greater attention from national and local officials.

"The safety and security of women is of the highest concern to our government," saidn Singh. "A commission of inquiry is being set up to look into precisely these issues in the capital."

He said India cannot have meaningful development without the active participation of women, and that their security must be assured.

The attack has sparked widespread protests in New Delhi urging the government to address crimes against women.

One panel announced by the government Wednesday will review the police response to the attack, while another will suggest ways to make the capital safer for women as well as changes to the law to create stiffer penalties for such crimes. ---VOA News