Australia admits attacks on Indians dented its image

Australia on Wednesday acknowledged that some of the attacks on Indians were racists in nature, causing considerable damage to its reputation among Indian people and said its premier criminal research agency has been roped in to study the issue and suggest remedial measures.

"I acknowledge absolutely that this issue has caused considerable damage to Australia's reputation among Indian people. We have to work very hard to address that. We have to be open, transparent and upfront about that," visiting Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith told reporters in New Delhi.

"We know that a number of these assaults are racists and have racial overtones. These are absolutely contemptible. We are doing a range of things in future to better portray modern Australia. We want to underline the strength of relationship between India and Australia," Smith said.

However, both the countries have agreed that the issue should not be allowed to affect the bilateral ties which has grown immensely in the last two years, he said. The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has been entrusted with the task of studying the issue in depth and ensure whether the government's response to the attacks has been apt, Smith said.

"Our police authority in Australia does not keep statistics on the basis of nationality. It has been difficult to do an exhaustive statistical analysis of the assaults. The institute will do the study to get a better understanding of the issue," he said.

"I want to give the message that we have zero tolerance to any such attack. We want to bring the culprits to justice," he said. Smith said there have been convictions in many cases while investigation is going on in 70 cases. "We want to ensure that any visitor to Australia experiences what the people of the country experience," he said.

- Asian Tribune -