India urges Australia for action on attacks Down Under (Third Lead)

NEW DELHI - India Wednesday pressed Australia to take “effective steps” to ensure the security of Indians in that country and sought a list of authorised agents recognised by Australian institutions so that students are not cheated by touts or dubious institutes.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith updated his Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna about measures taken by Australian authorities, including close surveillance of areas where Indians stay in large numbers, and emphasized his government’s zero tolerance for racist attacks.

He also reiterated Australia’s commitment to bring to justice those responsible for attacks on Indian students and promised “transparent and upfront action”.

Krishna asked for quicker prosecution of those found involved in attacks against Indians, sources said.

The two ministers also took up other bilateral issues, like counter-terror cooperation and prospects of a free trade agreement between the two countries.

Smith also discussed with Home Minister P. Chidambaram the security of the Commonwealth Games and expressed satisfaction at the security for key sporting event to be hosted by India later this year.

The safety of students also figured in his discussions with Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal.

“With regard to the desire expressed by the Australian side to develop a set of principles for the regulation of education agents recruiting Indian students to study abroad, Sibal requested the Australian side to provide to the Indian side, a list of education agents signed up by Australian institutions,” the human resorces development ministry said in a statement.

A signed list of agents will help Indian students not to fall prey to touts who promise students all kind of things before sending them to sub-standard educational institutes.

Sibal emphasised the need of making suitable arrangements for Indian students who have been affected by closure of dubious institutes of vocational education recently.

Sibal and Smith also discussed India’s plan to allow foreign educational institutions to open campus in India.

Earlier in the day, Smith admitted that some of the attacks on Indian students were racist in nature that caused considerable damage to Australia’s reputation and standing among Indian people.

“We know that a number of these assaults are racist and have racial overtones. These are absolutely contemptible,” Smith, who is on a three-day visit to India, told reporters.

Smith also said the Australian Institute of Criminology, a private body, was studying the attacks on Indian student and would soon come up with an exhaustive report to help the government deal with the issue.

“There are 70 investigations underway on these assaults. We regarded that it is condemnable and we have zero tolerance that doesn’t reflect the modern, tolerant and multicultural Australia,” he said.

“We don’t believe that Indian students have been singled out but we can’t assert that which is why we asked the Criminology Institute to do that study,” Smith said.

“We have to work very hard to address that. We have to be open, transparent and upfront about that,” Smith said on his third visit to the country aimed at assuring India about the safety of students in that country.

There are around 120,000 Indian students studying in Australia. The Indian diaspora there is roughly 500,000 strong.