Fresh attacks in Australia: India dismayed

Despite Australia’s assurances of protection to Indians, there seems to be no let-up in such incidents. India expressed “dismay” over new incidents of attacks against Indians in Australia. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is once again expected to raise the issue with his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith on the margins of a conference in London.

“We have learnt with dismay today, of fresh incidents of violence against Indians residing in Australia, with the latest reports coming from Brisbane where four Indians, including three taxi drivers were attacked in two separate incidents on Thursday, 28th January,” Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur said in a statement in New Delhi.

“....In view of the latest incidents reported today, EAM (External Affairs Minister) is likely to raise this issue once again with the Australian Foreign Minister later today on the margins of the meetings in London,” she said.

Krishna had met Smith on Wednesday and had conveyed that these attacks were particularly worrisome as the Indian community members appeared to have been singled out and it was becoming increasingly difficult to accept these attacks as mere opportunistic crimes devoid of any racial motives. He also impressed upon Smith that there had been no visible progress so far in most of the investigations into previous attacks including in the fatal murder of 21-year-old Nitin Garg earlier this month.

It was the responsibility of the Australian authorities to bring the perpetrators of these crimes to book at the earliest and immediately put effective measures into practice to prevent any further attacks, Krishna had said. Smith had informed Krishna that a high-level Working Group had been set up under his overall charge to deal on an urgent basis with this issue.

Ms. Kaur said, meanwhile, the Indian High Commissioner in Australia is currently on a visit to Brisbane. He “is meeting community leaders and members of the Queensland Police authorities to discuss and deal with the recent attacks, and to ensure that remedial measures are urgently undertaken,” she added.

- Asian Tribune -