Issue of attacks on Indians dominate Oz-India ties in 2010

Natasha Chaku
Melbourne, Dec 27 (PTI) Despite Australia's all round
efforts to further develop its ties with India, the issue of
racism dominated their relations in 2010 following the murder
of an Indian student and revelation of racist emails
circulated by Victorian police.
Arrival of 100,000 Indian students here in the past
five years was the biggest thing to happen to Australia and
India relations since the 1790s. But the year also saw a
decline in the number of Indian students after the Australian
government announced a new stricter visa regime.
The new visa conditions introduced in a bid to halt
dubious activities of "training colleges" and "dodgy migration
agents" who were cashing on the loopholes of education and
'permanent residency'.
The year kicked off on a very shaky note with the
killing of 22-year-old Indian student Nitin Garg in early
January, threatening the bilateral ties.
News of Garg's murder, who was stabbed to death in
Melbourne's west, received widespread media coverage,
prompting Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to
demand stringent action by the Australian government.
"This heinous crime on humanity, this is an
uncivilised brutal attack on innocent Indians. It certainly
will have some bearing on the bilateral ties between our two
countries," he had then warned.
The incident prompted Australia to hold a massive
campaign 'Vindaloo against Violence" to show their solidarity
and denounce spate of attacks against Indian community.
The case was solved at the end of the year and two
Melbourne teenagers were charged in the case with one avoiding
a jail term for his part in the murder of Garg.
The year also saw for the first time Victorian
government acting on the racial vilification laws which were
in place for almost a decade.
Three men faced court in Victorian court on the
charges of racism after allegedly physically assaulting and
racially abusing a 22-year-old Indian student Rajan Kumar
Katkam.
While Australia tried its best to wipe out 'racism'
allegations, India once again summoned Australian High
Commissioner Peter Varghese over racist emails circulated by
Victorian police officers crudely suggesting action to ensure
the "safety" of Indians in Australia.
The email scandal dealt a fresh blow to relations
between Delhi and Canberra.
The two countries worked hard to bring back the
normalcy with a string of high-level visits between them.
Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean visited India to
reassure it pursuing deeper bilateral, regional and
international cooperation with India in a wide range of
fields, including on strategic and security matters.
On the other hand, Indian ministers - Human Resource
Development Minister Kapil Sibal, Overseas Indian Affairs
Minister Vayalar Ravi also visited Down Under. (more) PTI