By IANS,
New Delhi: Australia has “zero tolerance” for racist attacks, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Tuesday after he arrived here on a three-day trip that will focus on steps taken by Canberra to ensure the safety of over 100,000 Indian students in his country.
Security for the Commonwealth Games, trade and hockey diplomacy are also on the agenda.
“Regrettable…. We know as I said to my parliament that there have been some racial or racist overtones to a small number of those assaults and we condemn them absolutely,” he told reporters here when asked whether the attacks on Indian students in recent times have been racially motivated.
Australia has “zero tolerance for assaults on Indians or against anyone else who comes to Australia,” he stressed.
Smith added that several steps have been taken to ensure that people have an “enjoyable and safe experience” when they visit Australia.
Smith’s comments came on the heels of a fresh assault against a Sri Lankan man and his Indian wife in Melbourne Sunday morning.
A group of 25 drunken youth attacked and hurled racist abuses at 60-year-old Ranjit Sahasranaman, who is married to Indian-origin Agalya Sahasranaman, outside his own home in Carrams Down suburb in Melbourne.
The attacks on Indian students and steps taken by Canberra to ensure the safety of Indian students in that country will top discussions between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Smith Wednesday, the second meeting between the two after they met in London January-end on the sidelines of a global conference.
The attacks on Indian students that started in May last year have put bilateral ties under stress.
“We will be discussing the issue of the safety of Indian students and community. Their safety, security and well-being is a cause of concern,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash told reporters here Tuesday ahead of the talks.
The spokesperson said India will press for “effective measures” by Australia to address its concerns over the safety of Indian students.
There are more than 120,000 Indian students studying in Australia, contributing around $2 billion to the Australian economy.
Smith will also meet Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal to explore greater cooperation in the area of education.
“(I) will brief the Indian government on the actions taken by authorities to create a safe and rewarding study environment for Indian students in Australia,” Smith said in a statement in Melbourne prior to his departure.
“Krishna and I will discuss Australia’s and India’s close cooperation in trying to solve the recent problems faced by some Indians in Australia,” he added.
Smith’s official engagements in India started with a meeting with Commerce Minister Anand Sharma Tuesday evening. The two ministers discussed burgeoning economic relations and progress in a feasibility study undertaken to explore the possibilities of a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Australia.
Smith will also brief the Indian government on Australia’s recently announced Counter-Terrorism White Paper and discuss security arrangements for the Commonwealth Games here later this year. Besides, he will visit the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the main venue for the October Commonwealth Games.
There have been concerns about security in the aftermath of terror threats by Pakistan-based militants to international sporting events in India, including the ongoing Hockey World Cup.
Australia has expressed satisfaction at security arrangements in India, Prakash said.
Smith will take time off for some hockey diplomacy Tuesday night. Smith will join Sibal to watch Australia and India play a Hockey World Cup game that the two sides have designated “Friendship Match”.