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Suo Motu Statement by Shri S.M. Krishna,
External Affairs Minister in Parliament on “Attacks on Indians in
Australia”
25/02/2010
I rise to inform the House about the recent attacks on Indian
nationals in Australia and the steps being taken by Government of
India as well as by the Australian Government in dealing with
various issues involved.
2. The attacks on Indian students have been coming to our notice for
over two years now, since 2007 when some students were assaulted in
Sydney. In 2008 and 2009 also, there were other sporadic instances
of assaults on Indian students, including some working as taxi
drivers in Melbourne and in Adelaide. However, it is since May 2009
that there seems to have been a significant increase in the number
and frequency of attacks on Indians in Australia. This has coincided
with the substantial increase in the number of Indian students
studying in Australia over the last three years, with a 141%
increase recorded in just two years from 2006 to 2008.
3. The attacks continued in a sporadic manner till May, 2009. On 9
May, a student named Saurabh Sharma was attacked in a train by a
gang of 4-5 people. On 23 May, 2009, a young student studying in
Melbourne, Sravan Kumar Theerthala was savagely attacked with a
screw driver, resulting in serious injuries to his head. On 2nd
January 2010, a student Mr. Nitin Garg was attacked late at night
while crossing a park in a Melbourne suburb on his way to work. He
later died in the hospital. While there were other cases of assaults
on Indian students and taxi drivers in Victoria, New South Wales and
Queensland, most of the incidents seem to have been occurring in and
around Melbourne. On 14th January, 2010 night there was an incident
of arson by fire in Cranbourne Nanaksar Taath Gurudwara in
Melbourne. These attacks received extensive coverage in the media in
both countries.
4. Each assault was taken up with the Australian authorities, at the
state level by the Consulates General and at the state and federal
levels by the High Commission of India.
5. The incidents relating to Indian students and nationals in
Australia have involved one or more of the following elements:
robbery, assault, violence fuelled by alcohol/drugs, juvenile crime
and racial abuse. Other contributing factors have been: the
financial constraints of the Indian students which have led to them
living in poor neighbourhoods, working late hours and travelling in
late night public transport, all of which have made them more
vulnerable to street crime which has been on the increase in
Melbourne, where most of the incidents have taken place.
6. The profile of the attackers in most of these assaults is of
youngsters in their teens and early 20s, largely under the influence
of drugs or alcohol. The attackers are of mixed ethnicity, including
sometimes, other Indians. Some of the attacks have had racial
elements.
7. Besides the obvious law and order problem, the other issues which
have come to the fore include the commercialisation of the
Australian international education industry and laxity in
monitoring/enforcing compliance of the regulations by the Australian
authorities. The increase in number of students in Vocational
Education & Training (VET) sector was linked to the immigration
system of Australia which gave priority in the last few years to
applicants for permanent residency (PR) in certain skills where
there are significant shortages. These immigration rules are now in
the process of undergoing changes.
8. The matter of the growing number of assaults on Indian students
was taken up in May-June, 2009 at the highest level by Prime
Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and by
me with Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.
9. I visited Australia in August 2009 and conveyed our concerns to
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith. In the
course of my 4 day visit covering three states, and my several
interactions with our students and our community in Australia, I
gained a first hand perspective on the issues related to the welfare
and well-being of our student and larger community in Australia.
10. In the course of my visit, I announced that the High Commission,
the Consulates and the Honorary Consuls would be open on every
Friday, from 11 am till 5 pm, for any Indian student to walk in to
discuss their problems and grievances.
11. Ministry of External Affairs and the High Commission have also
unveiled since 12 June 2009, on their respective websites,
Guidelines for Indian students studying in and wishing to study in
Australia with advice, dos and don’ts. These Guidelines have been
regularly updated.
12. Bilateral working groups have discussed the issues of regulation
of education agents, student welfare, vocational education and
training, and quality assurance in Delhi in October 2009 and will
meet again soon.
13. During the visit of Prime Minister Mr. Kevin Rudd to India on 12
November 2009, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh conveyed the high
priority that Government of India attached to the safety, security
and well-being of Indian community in Australia. Mr Rudd reiterated
the Australian Government’s commitment to taking all possible
measures to protect the safety and welfare of all international
students including Indian students.
14. Our High Commission in Australia and the Consulates General in
Melbourne and Sydney each have a Community Welfare and Student
Liaison Officer (CWSLO) who is on call 24/7, and whose mobile number
is on our website as our emergency response number. Any problem
involving an Indian student or member of the community is handled by
the CWSLO in coordination with the High Commissioner/Consuls
General.
15. In Australia a Task Force headed by the Australian National
Security Advisor was set up in the office of Australian Prime
Minister, to formulate what they term a ‘whole of government’
approach to the issue and liaise with state governments on the
action being taken by them.
16. In Melbourne as well as in Sydney, the police have increased
patrolling where incidents had occurred. In Melbourne, police
presence was stepped up especially around train stations and high
crime neighbourhoods; the number of transit police, including in
plain clothes on late night trains taken by students, was increased;
the Victoria State Government’s Robbery Taskforce was doubled;
several offenders were charged. A Community Reference Group for
Western Melbourne involving the police and members of the Indian
community to facilitate communication on safety issues was
established. A hotline was set up for Indian students. Free legal
advice and referral for international students was made available at
Melbourne. More street lighting and CCTV cameras have been provided
in areas that are prone to such attacks.
17. Of the various reports and reviews commissioned by the
Australian government to look into the several problems being faced
by the students, two have submitted their reports, and made specific
recommendations to improve conditions for international students.
18. There have been 8 Ministerial level visits from Australia to
India in 2009. Many of these were focussed on addressing our growing
concerns about the safety and well-being of our students.
19. The Australian federal and state government authorities have
taken action in providing relief to Indian students affected due to
the sudden closure of certain colleges, in making them aware of
their rights and relocating them in other colleges.
20. Following some attacks on Indian taxi drivers last year, the
South Australia government has set up a taxi council to hold regular
discussions with taxi drivers, many of whom are students.
21. The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC)
has introduced measures to strengthen checks on student visa
applications to stamp out fraud and ensure that students have the
financial capacity to live and study in Australia. DIAC has recently
announced an overhaul of the general skilled migration rules leading
to permanent residency in Australia.
22. The Victorian Government strengthened the Victorian Sentencing
Act 1991 in December 2009, and is conducting a review of the justice
system under a retired Supreme Court judge to address racial crime.
23. As a result of these measures, the number of incidents recorded
in these suburbs has decreased. 300 police officers are being added
to the Victorian Police to form a rapid response unit to address
continued attacks. Other concrete measures taken by the Victorian
government include the setting up of an International Student Care
Service. The service has 24/7 hotline staffed by trained persons,
some of whom also speak Hindi. The Centre provides psychological
counselling, legal assistance, assistance with any problem with
educational institute, employer or landlord or any other authority.
It also provides financial assistance to students for temporary
accommodation as well as assistance to take care of medical expenses
etc.
24. The issue continues to be taken up very strongly with the
Australian Government. I spoke to Australian Foreign Minister
Stephen Smith on 11 January and expressed my serious concern. I also
met Australian FM Stephen Smith in London on the margins of
Conference on Afghanistan on 27 January 2010 and conveyed that these
attacks are particularly worrisome as the individuals from the
Indian community appeared to be singled out and it was increasingly
difficult to accept these attacks as mere opportunistic crimes.
25. The Australian Government has recently set up a high-level
Working Group under overall charge of Foreign Minister Stephen Smith
to deal with this issue on an urgent basis.
26. India-Australia relations have been expanding rapidly over the
last few years. India attaches importance to its relationship with
Australia and we are committed to further strengthening and
expanding our relations to cover virtually every area of
interaction. People to people contacts are at the heart of any
relationship. It is estimated that almost half a million Indians
(including 97000 Indian students) and people of Indian origin live
in Australia today. The older, more established Indian community in
Australia consists largely of skilled professionals, such as
doctors, accountants, engineers and academics. It has traditionally
been seen as a model migrant community and lauded for its
contribution to the Australian economy, having settled and
integrated well, and highly regarded for their industry and skills.
The Indian community through its culture and values is contributing
in making Australia the vibrant multi-cultural society that it is
today. They are a vital bond between our two countries.
27. Let there be no doubt that we take the incidents of assault on
our students very seriously indeed. I would like to assure you that
the Australian authorities have been fully apprised of the gravity
of the situation. As a result, both at the state as well as the
federal level, they have taken several measures as outlined above,
to improve security and surveillance; it can be honestly said that
they are making efforts to meet our concerns. However, as can be
seen, the issue consists of several complex factors, all of which
are interlinked and need to be dealt with in a concerted and
coordinated manner.
28. I assure the House that we will continue to monitor the
situation closely and work closely with the Australian authorities
to deal with the issues concerned and improve the safety and
security of our students in Australia.
Thank you
New Delhi
February 25, 2010 |
