Long Term Effects if Attacks against Indians Don’t Stop: Indian Envoy to Oz

In a meeting with Australian Governor-General, Indian High Commissioner to Australia has reportedly warned of long term consequences in the event more action was not taken to stop assaults against the Indians and has also pointed out that the Victoria was in a ‘state of denial’, said media reports.

Only yesterday, Victorian premier John Brumby had lambasted at Indian media and some government officials for ‘unbalanced views on the ongoing attacks’.

‘The Age’ reported that top India envoy Sujatha Singh had sought meeting with Governor-General Quentin Bryce in Sydney last Friday.

Daring the meeting, she reportedly told Bryce that Australia was not racist but warned of long term effect if more action was not taken to stop attacks, said report.

She is reported to have admired during the meeting the role of police in NSW, Queensland and South Australia for tackling racist attacks, but also pointed out that Victoria was taking too long to respond and was in a state of ‘denial’ over the severity of the attacks, report said.

Citing over 100 incidents of racist violence against Indians last year, she told Bryce that Victorian authorities were in denial over the scale of the attacks, said report.

Report said that even as Victorian police have repeatedly said that they don’t  record the ethnicity of assault victims, a spokesman yesterday was unable to confirm Singh’s claimed number of incidents.

(Based on internet reports)