By IANS,
London/New Delhi : External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Thursday met his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith for the second time in 24 hours to express concern over mounting attacks on Indian students in Australia.
The meeting came against the backdrop of four Indians being assaulted in two separate incidents in Australia, sources said.
New Delhi reminded Canberra of its responsibility to immediately bring to justice the perpetrators of the attacks.
Krishna met Stephen Smith on the sidelines of the Afghanistan conference while Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur expressed “dismay” in New Delhi over new incidents of attacks.
“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,” Kaur said.
“….In view of the latest incidents reported today, the 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 held an hour-long meeting with Smith in London’s Dorchester Hotel Wednesday where the Australian informed him of the establishment of a high-level committee of the federal and Victorian governments to probe the attacks.
Krishna said Wednesday he had expressed concern that Indians were being singled out for attacks from among students of many nationalities studying in Australia.