Victoria Premier cancels visit to Mumbai over terror fears
September 21st, 2009 - 1:24 pm ICT by ANIMelbourne/New Delhi, Sep.21 (ANI): Victoria Premier John Brumby has cancelled the Mumbai leg of India tour due to terrorism fears.
According to The Age, Brumby will now visit just Delhi and Bangalore after a travel warning from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade claimed that terrorists could be preparing to strike in Mumbai.
His trip was aimed at stemming criticism after a spate of racist attacks in Melbourne over the past two years and to promote Victoria as a safe place for Indian students and migrants.
The constant negative attention has caused a drop in the number of Indians applying for student visas and has greatly damaged Victoria’s image, threatening the lucrative international student market.
Australia’s 15 billion dollar international education business is the nation’s second-largest export industry after mining, and universities depend on international student fees to prop up their budgets.
Brumby will spend the next two days in Hong Kong, before arriving in Delhi mid-week for talks with senior Indian Government ministers and officials, community and student groups and Indian media.
Brumby had originally planned to arrive in Mumbai, but has now extended his stay in Delhi following the DFAT travel warning.
There is a risk that Brumby’s decision to avoid Mumbai - India’s financial capital - will draw criticism on the subcontinent. (ANI)
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