Violence is 'fact of life' in all countries: Australia

Australian trade minister Simon Crean today said his country was taking all appropriate steps to ensure safety and security of Indians there but maintained that violence was a "fact of life" in all countries.
     
"We welcome Indian students who come to Australia in huge numbers. Australia is not a racist country. We are offering
quality education," Crean said told reporters on the sidelines of a CII function.
      
On the incidents of assaults on Indians, the minister said "violence is a fact of life in all countries. Let's be honest about that. What we have to do is to ensure that we mitigate that violence and take appropriate steps and that we are doing."

More than 100 attacks have been reported against Indian students in Australia since June last year, including the fatal stabbing of 21-year-old Nitin Garg on January 2 this year.
     
The Ministry of External Affairs has issued an advisory to Indian students in Australia, advising them not to travel at night and travel in groups, among other precautions.

Giving details of the measures taken by Australia to ensure security of Indian students, Crean said "the government has deployed additional police at the places where these incidents are occurring and are also offering helplines and assistance to students in campuses and on-line.

"What has happened over the last nine months is the identification and the circumstances surrounding and number of cases involving Indian students in particular", he said.