Australia sets up high-level group to study attacks on Indians

Under pressure from India, Australia today set up a high-level working group to study the spate of attacks on Indians in that country.

The working group set up by the federal government and the government of Victoria state would comprehensively study the reported incidents and their implications, external affairs minister SM Krishna said after meeting his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith in London.

"The first meeting of the high-level group will take place by the end of this week. As soon as the group comes out with its assessment they would advise the government of India," he said, a day after two more Indians came under attack in Australia.

As part of efforts to provide adequate security to the vulnerable students, community policing has also been stepped up in Australia, he said.

"A number of students who have gone there have taken up part-time jobs and they work in the late hours. The community policing and patrolling has been increased to give them protection," he said, exuding confidence that there will be sufficient remedial measures to deal with the situation.

Over 100 incidents of attacks on Indians, particularly students, were reported in 2009 and the attacks have continued this year unabated. The Australian government has given a dossier on these incidents to India which reveals that nearly half of the attackers have been juveniles.

The working group will comprise federal and provincial ministers and will be overseen by the foreign minister.

"India would be satisfied if the Australian government focuses on the investigation, whether the assaults on Indians were juvenile attacks or opportunistic urban crime or racially-motivated," Krishna said after the 30 minute meeting with Smith.

"We will review what action has been initiated by the government of Australia in order to mitigate the plight of the Indian students who are under attack every other day," he said.

Krishna said India has high-level strategic partnership with Australia but the only problem in the otherwise comfortable relationship is the repeated attacks on Indian students in certain parts of Australia.

But, he said, "the very fact that the foreign ministers of the two countries have discussed the issue shows the importance they attach to the attacks on students".

Smith had telephoned Krishna in New Delhi, expressing a desire to meet him in London on the sidelines of the conference on Afghanistan.

"I utilised this meeting to explain about India's concern over the growing attacks on Indian students in Australia," Krishna said.

He said he had visited Australia recently to reach out to the Australian government and "they have reciprocated".

He noted that nearly a dozen incidents of attacks have been reported in the last four weeks which have raised India's concern.