Attacks strain Australia-India relations
Monday, 1 June 2009
MELBOURNE, May 31 (AFP): Indian students rallied in Melbourne as Australia scrambled to contain outrage over a wave of attacks that has seen it labelled racist and strained diplomatic relations with New Delhi.
What began as a local policing issue in Australia's second largest city has spiralled into a crisis that prompted talks between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on student safety last week.
Students and Indian officials are demanding action after more than 70 assaults on their peers in a year in Melbourne, including at least four in the past fortnight, attracting prominent coverage in newspapers here and in India.
Pictures from a hospital bed of a comatose Sravan Kumar Theerthala, who was stabbed with a screwdriver by gatecrashers at a party, were splashed across front pages in India. A teenager faces charges of attempted murder.
What began as a local policing issue in Australia's second largest city has spiralled into a crisis that prompted talks between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on student safety last week.
Students and Indian officials are demanding action after more than 70 assaults on their peers in a year in Melbourne, including at least four in the past fortnight, attracting prominent coverage in newspapers here and in India.
Pictures from a hospital bed of a comatose Sravan Kumar Theerthala, who was stabbed with a screwdriver by gatecrashers at a party, were splashed across front pages in India. A teenager faces charges of attempted murder.