Rudd warns Indian students to abide by Australian laws

September 27th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd met his India counterpart Dr. Manmohan Singh to discuss the recent violent attacks against Indian students studying in Australia, and also to apprise him of action taken against the perpetrators of these attacks.

September 16th, 2009 SYDNEY - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Thursday warned students from India not to take the law into their own hands after writer and activist Farrukh Dhondy reportedly urged Indians in the country for "some form of retaliation" following the brutal assault on four Indians in Melbourne. Dhondy has urged Indians in Australia to take matters into their own hands, The Age reported Thursday.

August 21st, 2009 SYDNEY - Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard will visit India later this month to take its relationship with New Delhi to "a higher level". Gillard will leave for a five-day trip Aug 30, paving the way for a visit by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd later in the year, his first to India since coming to power in 2007, The Age reported Friday.

August 10th, 2009 MELBOURNE - External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Monday asked the Australian Government to regulate the country's "dubious" private colleges, which are destroying the future of Indian students. "I think they (vocational colleges) are not only bringing a bad name to Australia but they are destroying the future of the younger generation of Indian students," The Australian quoted Krishna, as saying.

August 7th, 2009 Chaku Cairns (Australia): Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Friday assured, the visiting Indian External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna that all steps would be taken to ensure the safety and security of Indian students in his country.

August 7th, 2009 CAIRNS - External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Friday met his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith in Cairns, and discussed issues related to safety and security of Indian students in Australia. Following the meeting, the two ministers held a news conference where Krishna expressed satisfaction at the level of assurances that have been offered by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.

July 8th, 2009 PUTRAJAYA - Despite a series of racially motivated attacks on Indian students in the country, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has assured foreigners that his country is a safe place to study. Referring to the recent attacks or "curry bashings", he said, "In every city in the world, unfortunately, there are going to be acts of violence from time to time." The Star Online quoted him, as claiming that he was not playing down the issue, and "one act of violence is one too many; one death is one too many," and added that his government welcomed foreign students and took their security "very seriously".

June 24th, 2009 CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Wednesday said that he would do everything possible to maximise security and step up measures for international students following a wave of savage attacks on Indian students that have caused an outrage. Any assault against any person is one assault too many.

June 19th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australia's Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Evans, today met representatives from the Indian community in Melbourne to listen directly to their views on the racial attacks involving Indian students. The Minister reassured the Indian community that the Australian Government welcomes students from India and values their decision in coming to Australia to further their studies.

June 15th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Another Indian student has been bashed and racially abused, this time in Melbourne's east. According to a report in The Age, Sunny Bajaj, 20, said he was taunted and punched by two men as he was about to get into his car in Boronia on Friday night.

June 11th, 2009 SYDNEY - A second night of protests by Indian students over perceived racially motivated violence against them prompted Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to warn Wednesday against the formation of vigilante groups. "I fully support hardline measures in response to any act of violence towards any student anywhere - Indian or otherwise," Rudd said.

June 10th, 2009 CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has described his country as one of the safest places for students and warned that vigilante action in response to attacks against foreign students, will not be tolerated. "It's unacceptable for anyone to commit an act of violence against any student of any ethnicity anywhere in Australia," Rudd told Fairfax Radio.

June 2nd, 2009 SYDNEY - Indian nationals living in Australia have expressed deep concern over the manner in which the Indian media has covered the recent Australian assaults on students and many consider this reporting "irresponsible" This comes as the Indian media is doing exclusive coverage of the Australian attacks and has been extensively rebuking the country for being a racist. "There is a problem with Indian media and Indian leadership - they can't assess a situation in a rational way.

May 31st, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has termed the attacks on Indian students a "problem" and assured that the government would do everything to prevent further assaults. "We have a particular current problem with Indian students," Smith told Network Ten.

May 30th, 2009 CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has reassured his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh that his government will take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of Indian students in Australia. Diplomatic relations between the two countries are said to be tense after India expressed anger and dismay over attacks on Indian students in Australia.