The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Australian envoy reassures students

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Australian envoy reassures students

Special Correspondent

Voicing concern: Australian High Commissioner John McCarthy during a press briefing by Higher Education Minister D. Sridhar Babu regarding the increased attacks on Indian students in Australia, in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

HYDERABAD: Australia High Commissioner to India John McCarthy said that criminal attitude among some elements in his country was the “overwhelming reason” for attacks on Indian students recently, especially in Melbourne city and Victoria province. “At the same time, it is impossible to discount the racial aspect.

The population in Australia is of mixed races.”

Mr. McCarthy held discussions with Minister for Higher Education & NRI Affairs D. Sridhar Babu at the Secretariat on Wednesday, on these matters as a prelude to the visit by an Australian “education delegation” to the city on Thursday.

These visits have been taken up as part of a “confidence-building exercise” to reassure Indian students and their parents of safety and security. At political level, interaction was on between the Prime Ministers and External Affairs of the two countries, he said. Mr. McCarthy was accompanied by Amin-ur-Rahaman, Australian Consul-General, Hyderabad, and Ravi Shankar, a Joint Secretary in the Government of India’s External Affairs Ministry, while Mr. Sridhar Babu was aided by N. V. Ramana Reddy, secretary, NRI Affairs.

Asked if unemployment in Australia could be a reason for the attacks, he replied in the negative.

Indian students, he added, were allowed to do jobs only for 20 hours in a week like the US and Canada. They were being helped with two types of scholarships, one of them at university level.

He did not indicate if his government would offer any assistance to the family of Shravan Kumar but the Minister recalled that the Andhra Pradesh government provided Rs. 10 lakh already.

Mr. McCarthy said lack of cooperation by Australian police in dealing with the attacks was “not common”.

The envoy said a clean and secure environment existed in Australia for students from any nation and yet, the system was being tightened to provide cent per cent security. The issue of attacks was being treated with “utmost seriousness”.

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