By Manish Chand, IANS,
Phuket (Thailand): Ahead of Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna’s visit to Australia Aug 5, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith Wednesday assured him that his government was doing everything possible to ensure the safety of nearly 100,000 Indian students in that country.
Krishna held a brief pull-aside meeting with Smith on the sidelines of the India-ASEAN ministerial meeting in this Thai island resort.
Smith discounted the allegedly racist nature of the attacks and explained the background against which they have taken place, arguing that they were primarily “law and order problems”.
He also recounted a series of steps taken by the Australian government to prevent attacks on Indian students that have cast a shadow on the otherwise vibrant relationship between the two countries.
Australia has sent three high-profile delegations, including its education minister and immigration minister, to India to allay anxieties about the safety of Indian students and to project Down Under as a “safe education destination”.
Nearly 100,000 Indian students study in Australia, contributing around $2 billion to the country’s economy.
The “friendly and cordial” meeting set a positive tone for Krishna’s five-day visit to Australia starting Aug 5.
He will visit Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns, N. Ravi, secretary (East) in India’s external affairs ministry, told journalists here.
Krishna’s visit will focus on getting an independent assessment of the problems Indian students face in Australia and the nature of the recent series of attacks on them. He will meet members of the Indian community, Indian students and representatives of Australian bodies.
Krishna will also attend a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, at which India is a dialogue partner, at Cairns in northeast Australia.