Finally Australian Government Admits Some Of the Attacks On Indians are Racist
StraightDrive
Some attacks seem racist, admits Australian Foreign Minister
P.S. Suryanarayana
Reaffirms that Australia practised a policy of "zero tolerance for racism"
SINGAPORE: Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith on Tuesday acknowledged
that some of the recent attacks on Indian students and other people of
Indian origin in his country appeared to be "racist in nature."
In a statement to the House of Representatives in Canberra, Mr. Smith said:
"Recent contemptible attacks on Indian students and others of Indian origin
in Australia have cast a long shadow not only over our education links [with
India] but across our broader relationship and bilateral agenda. These
attacks are inexcusable."
Reaffirming that Australia practised a policy of "zero tolerance for
racism," Mr. Smith said: "If any of these attacks have been racist in
nature - and it seems clear some of them have - they [the perpetrators] will
be punished with the full force of the law."
"What we are promising is to make a whole-of-nation and whole-of-government
commitment to do our best to address this problem and minimise it," he said
in wide-ranging remarks, the full text of which was later released.
He qualified the pledge by emphasising that "no government can credibly ...
promise to stop all urban crime." Linking this objective reality to the
current situation, he said, "regrettably, many Indian students in Australia,
in particular in Melbourne, find themselves in a higher risk-profile for
crime."
More specifically, "many work late-night shifts in occupations like
taxi-driving where assaults can be more likely. Many live in higher-crime
neighbourhoods, often commuting to and from there at night."
Outlining the actions already taken by the law-enforcement agencies and the
governments across Australia, Mr. Smith said "a detailed update" would be
conveyed to New Delhi this week. "Repairing the Australian brand and
reputation in India is an essential priority" for the Kevin Rudd government
in Australia.
Transparent reference
In a transparent reference to the resonance of sentiments on this issue in
both countries, Mr. Smith said: "When A.R. Rahman, the great Indian composer
and musician, performed at the Sydney Festival last month, he opened his
concert with the phrase: 'Long live the India-Australia relationship.' Mr.
Rahman went on to call for moderation, unity, and understanding during these
difficult times. I could not agree more."
Tracing how Canberra was now engaged in building a strategic partnership
with New Delhi, Mr. Smith said: "Australia also firmly believes India should
become a permanent member of a reformed United Nations Security Council and
a member of the [forum of] APEC [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation]."
Australia "strongly supports ... a rebalancing of global architecture," in
economic and strategic terms, as reflected in the membership of the Group of
20 "which includes India and China," he said.
Torpedo
including cricket, Australia will keep on playing its tricks.
A government level economic sanction can only create complex bilateral as
well as international issues and should be avoided. The Indian government
can offer the "Bollywood grin" to its Australian counterpart while ordinary
Indians can practise "Satyagraha" as they are doing it in Arunachal Pradesh
at the moment with Chinese products.
"StraightDrive" <Straig...@Tendulkar.com> wrote in message
news:hksjoo$kqq$1...@speranza.aioe.org...
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olde.sault
> ...as long as ordinary Indians cannot dump Australian goods and services
> including cricket, Australia will keep on playing its tricks.
>
> A government level economic sanction can only create complex bilateral as
> well as international issues and should be avoided. The Indian government
> can offer the "Bollywood grin" to its Australian counterpart while ordinary
> Indians can practise "Satyagraha" as they are doing it in Arunachal Pradesh
> at the moment with Chinese products.
>
>
> - Show quoted text -
Judging by his name, our Foreign Minister has had a few problems on
that field himself so wouldn't be quite impartial to the fashionable
cry of "RACISM!"
OS