Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 3 (IANS) As many as 103 Indians were killed or injured in attacks in Australia last year and steps have been taken to prevent such assaults, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi told the Lok Sabha Wednesday.

“It has been conveyed to the Australian government that it was the responsibility of the Australian authorities to ensure the well being and security of all Indians in Australia,” Ravi told the Lok Sabha.

In 2009, 52 Indians either lost their lives or were injured in Australia in attacks on them, while 11 such incidents were reported in 2008, the minister said.

The attacks resulted in a diplomatic row, as India blamed racism for the targeting of Indians, especially students. The Australian authorities said they were also taking steps to curb the attacks.

On many occasions, Indian students have taken out protests marches, saying attacks on them were motivated by racism and were not being sufficiently addressed by the Australian government.

There are over 600,000 international students from over 100 countries pursuing university or vocational studies in Australia.

In 2009, there were over 150,000 Indian students enrolled to undertake an Australian qualification and India was the second top-source country for Australia’s international education industry. After the series of attacks on Indians, many students returned home.