Elements of racism possible in attacks: Australian envoy

August 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Australian Deputy Prime Minister Julian Gillard's condemnation of the alleged race attacks on Indian students drew mixed response from the students of the Delhi University with whom she interacted here Monday. While many called the Australian government's response to the attacks as sham, some said that it was more of a "media hype" and such incidents can take place in any part of the world.

August 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Australian government would ensure that student victims of racist attacks either get a seat in a different college or are refunded the entire college fee, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said here Monday. Gillard, who is on a five-day visit to India, was interacting with students of the Lady Shri Ram College.

July 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Britain, New Zealand and North America and not Australia are the favoured destinations for higher education for Indian kids and their parents. A report in the Australian daily The Age has said that media reports about attacks on young Indians and allegations of racism in Australian suburbs have had a serious impact on an Indian education agent's potential to attract students to Australia.

July 14th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - A delegation of officials from Australia is visiting Punjab to meet parents and educational consultants and reassure them that Indian students in Australia, bulk of whom come from the state, are safe there. The delegation arrived here even as the number of enquiries for courses in Australian institutions went up by four times this year, members of the visiting delegation said.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With attacks on Indian students creating widespread concern in India, Australia Monday underlined its policy of zero tolerance for racism and announced a slew of steps, including review of a legislation, to ensure the safety of international students. A nine-member Australian delegation is on an eight-city tour of the country in a damage control exercise aimed at cushioning its lucrative education industry from the ripple effects of negative publicity due to the attacks on Indian students.

June 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Australian High Commissioner John McCarthy says every possible effort will be made to ensure that attacks on Indian students in Australia are not repeated, adding that the authorities will "pursue those responsible" for the assaults. In a letter to the Non-Aligned Students and Youth Movement (NASYM) that had staged a demonstration here June 18 against the attacks on Indian students in Australia, McCarthy said: "The Australian government will make every effort to ensure that attacks are not repeated and that Australia remains a preferred destination for students from around the world." He said that the Australian government is working closely with the Indian government on the issue.

June 27th, 2009 CHENNAI - The attacks on Indian students in Australia were racial outbursts by anti-social elements, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said here Saturday. The minister said the Indian government was in touch with the Australian authorities and expressed confidence that the situation will become normal there.

June 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The situation of Indian students in Australia was improving with constant monitoring by authorities in both countries, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said Tuesday while an official from the southern continent stressed that her government had a "zero tolerance policy on racism". Police is taking action one after another and things are under control; maybe there are stray incidents here and there, Ravi told reporters after his meeting with Lisa Paul, secretary in Australia's department of education, employment and workplace relations.

June 23rd, 2009 MELBOURNE/NEW DELHI - The situation of Indian students in Australia was improving, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said Tuesday after meeting a senior Australian official in New Delhi as news came in of another Indian being attacked in Melbourne. "Police is taking action one after another and things are under control; maybe there are stray incidents here and there," Ravi told reporters in New Delhi after his meeting with Lisa Paul, secretary in Australia's department of education, employment and workplace relations.

June 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - After at least 15 Indian students were attacked in Australia during the past one month, Minister of Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi Tuesday said things are under control in the continent except for "stray incidents here or there". "The Australian officials have come to meet me to assure that the Indian students have the full protection of the Australian government.

June 11th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The growing resentment against ongoing racial attacks on Indian students in Australia was witnessed on Thursday when a group of youngsters demonstrated near the Australian Embassy. The protest demonstration was organised by the youth wing of Congress party.

June 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - On social networking sites, Indian students across the globe have been expressing their anger and condemnation of the racist attacks on Indians studying in Australia. Students overseas have launched an online protest in the wake of the attacks through social networking sites Facebook and Orkut.

May 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI/MELBOURNE - The Indian external affairs ministry Friday called Australian High Commissioner John McCarthy and conveyed its concerns over the allegedly racist attacks on Indian students in Melbourne, the second largest city of Australia. N. Ravi, secretary (east) in the ministry, met the Australian envoy and sought assurance about the safety of Indian students in Australia.

May 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI/MELBOURNE - With more attacks being reported on Indian students in Australia Friday, its government assured India that the students would be protected from violence that is perceived to be racist and is leading to growing insecurity among more than 80,000 students. Indian students in Melbourne are deeply concerned over the spate of attacks that has left one of them battling for life while another recuperates from a stab injury.

January 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Islamabad has not 'rejected' the evidence handed over by New Delhi, which points to the involvement of elements across the border in the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan's envoy here said Tuesday. 'There is no question of rejection of material that the Indian government has given us,' Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik told reporters here on the sidelines of a conference of Asia Africa Rural Development Organisation.