Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: articolo intelligente sugli attacchi contro studenti indiani in  Australia

Ma resta il fatto che la questione va avanti ormai da mesi e,
soprattutto nel caso dello Stato del Victoria e Melbourne, si assiste
soprattutto ad una sorta di continua piccata puntualizzazione che
l’Australia non è una Nazione razzista (verissimo!), che i resoconti
dei media indiani sono isterici (piuttosto vero) e che c’è una sorta
di quinta colonna intellettuale (professori universitari, artisti,
sociologi) che tendono ad amplificare oltremisura la portata di questi
casi (abbastanza vero).
--
http://www.lastampa.it/_web/cmstp/tmplrubriche/giornalisti/grubrica.asp?ID_blog=127&ID_articolo=366&ID_sezione=279&sezione=
E' crisi diplomatica ?
La situazione si fa delicata: l’ambasciatore indiano in Australia
rientrerà in patria la settimana prossima per “consultazioni con il
proprio governo”. Ovviamente, la cosa viene presentata come fosse
routine pura (in effetti i rappresentanti diplomatici tornano in
patria almeno una volta durante il mandato per “consultazioni di mezzo
termine”). Ma è difficile non collegare l’evento con il difficilissimo
momento che stanno attraversando le relazioni fra India ed Australia a
causa degli attacchi perpetrati contro studenti indiani soprattutto
nell’area di Melbourne (135 in un anno, dice la rivista indiana
Outlook che ha lanciato una durissima campagna al riguardo).
Va immediatamente chiarito che non tutti gli episodi in questione
possono senza dubbio configurarsi come attacchi a sfondo “etnico” (in
un caso, l’ultimo, un omicidio, i perpetratori erano essi stessi
indiani!)
Ma resta il fatto che la questione va avanti ormai da mesi e,
soprattutto nel caso dello Stato del Victoria e Melbourne, si assiste
soprattutto ad una sorta di continua piccata puntualizzazione che
l’Australia non è una Nazione razzista (verissimo!), che i resoconti
dei media indiani sono isterici (piuttosto vero) e che c’è una sorta
di quinta colonna intellettuale (professori universitari, artisti,
sociologi) che tendono ad amplificare oltremisura la portata di questi
casi (abbastanza vero).
Ma intanto mentre si fanno queste precisazioni il ritmo degli attacchi
non diminuisce (certamente a questo contribuisce l’effetto emulativo
che questi comportamenti e il rilievo a loro dato finiscono per
stimolare nella mente bacata di idioti e sfaccendati).
E questo - come abbiamo detto in altri post - è qualcosa che
l’Australia non si può permettere, per un sacco di buone ragioni: per
la sua composizione demografico-culturale, per la sua immagine nei
confronti del mondo e per il sacco di soldi in tasse universitarie e
spese indotte che gli studenti internazionali portano nelle casse
degli Stati.
E’ a dir poco spiacevole e inopportuno che si sia arrivati a far dire
al Ministro degli Esteri indiano: “Negli Usa ci sono 100mila studenti
indiani. Perché là non succede niente e in Australia invece sì?” Frase
assolutamente fuori dell’usuale, pronunciata poco prima che si
diffondesse la notizia del viaggio in patria dell’ambasciatore indiano
per consultazioni. Di routine, s’intende…

 wrote in message 
news:19dafc7f-a1f3-46cd...@w3g2000vbq.googlegroups.com...
Ma resta il fatto che la questione va avanti ormai da mesi e,
soprattutto nel caso dello Stato del Victoria e Melbourne, si assiste
soprattutto ad una sorta di continua piccata puntualizzazione che
l�Australia non � una Nazione razzista (verissimo!), che i resoconti
dei media indiani sono isterici (piuttosto vero) e che c�� una sorta
di quinta colonna intellettuale (professori universitari, artisti,
sociologi) che tendono ad amplificare oltremisura la portata di questi
casi (abbastanza vero).
#_Non so da cosa derivino questi tuoi accenni alla verita`.
Va distinto molto tra Stato e Stato.
 Malgrado gli sforzi del ministro dell'Immigrazione Australiano di 
minimizzare i casi e rassicurare gli studenti indiani con permesso di 
studio, gli incidenti continuano e la xenofobia e`una delle malattie 
piu`comuni in Australia, soprattutto verso le persone di colore.
E`allarmante che cio`accada In Victoria e anche in NSW che sono tra i 
piu`liberali.
Anche qualche neozelandese Maori ne e`stato vittima in passato.
--
http://www.lastampa.it/_web/cmstp/tmplrubriche/giornalisti/grubrica.asp?ID_blog=127&ID_articolo=366&ID_sezione=279&sezione=
E' crisi diplomatica ?
La situazione si fa delicata: l�ambasciatore indiano in Australia
rientrer� in patria la settimana prossima per �consultazioni con il
proprio governo�. Ovviamente, la cosa viene presentata come fosse
routine pura (in effetti i rappresentanti diplomatici tornano in
patria almeno una volta durante il mandato per �consultazioni di mezzo
termine�). Ma � difficile non collegare l�evento con il difficilissimo
momento che stanno attraversando le relazioni fra India ed Australia a
causa degli attacchi perpetrati contro studenti indiani soprattutto
nell�area di Melbourne (135 in un anno, dice la rivista indiana
Outlook che ha lanciato una durissima campagna al riguardo).
Va immediatamente chiarito che non tutti gli episodi in questione
possono senza dubbio configurarsi come attacchi a sfondo �etnico� (in
un caso, l�ultimo, un omicidio, i perpetratori erano essi stessi
indiani!)
Ma resta il fatto che la questione va avanti ormai da mesi e,
soprattutto nel caso dello Stato del Victoria e Melbourne, si assiste
soprattutto ad una sorta di continua piccata puntualizzazione che
l�Australia non � una Nazione razzista (verissimo!), che i resoconti
dei media indiani sono isterici (piuttosto vero) e che c�� una sorta
di quinta colonna intellettuale (professori universitari, artisti,
sociologi) che tendono ad amplificare oltremisura la portata di questi
casi (abbastanza vero).
Ma intanto mentre si fanno queste precisazioni il ritmo degli attacchi
non diminuisce (certamente a questo contribuisce l�effetto emulativo
che questi comportamenti e il rilievo a loro dato finiscono per
stimolare nella mente bacata di idioti e sfaccendati).
E questo - come abbiamo detto in altri post - � qualcosa che
l�Australia non si pu� permettere, per un sacco di buone ragioni: per
la sua composizione demografico-culturale, per la sua immagine nei
confronti del mondo e per il sacco di soldi in tasse universitarie e
spese indotte che gli studenti internazionali portano nelle casse
degli Stati.
E� a dir poco spiacevole e inopportuno che si sia arrivati a far dire
al Ministro degli Esteri indiano: �Negli Usa ci sono 100mila studenti
indiani. Perch� l� non succede niente e in Australia invece s�?� Frase
assolutamente fuori dell�usuale, pronunciata poco prima che si
diffondesse la notizia del viaggio in patria dell�ambasciatore indiano
per consultazioni. Di routine, s�intende�

 #_Non so da cosa derivino questi tuoi accenni alla verita`.
Da indiani come questi, per esempio.  Spiega la tua verità a loro.
--
"... it muddies the all too shrill narrative about racist Australians
pummelling Indian victims, a news TV narrative that has grown bigger
and louder by feeding on itself. This is not to downplay the incidents
of violence being reported in Australia’s cities. It is to question
the knee-jerk categorisation of all urban crime as racism..."
"There is already a 46 per cent drop in Indian student visa
applications to Australia. It does not signal a battle won for the
Indian self-interest. It represents a closing of options based on
complete misrepresentation of urban crime as a pattern of ethnic
violence."
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/facts-down-under/575843/
(intero articolo di sotto)
"Second, I cannot speak for all Indians in Australia, but personally,
since I and my family migrated to Australia in 2007 I never faced
racism. Painting the entire nation or the law enforcement agencies as
racists by a certain section of the Indian media is unreasonably and
hasty. Yes, racism is common in every state and society, but what
matters is how it is addressed. Australia has set high standards,
driven by its strong belief since 1967 in multiculturalism and
pluralism and should continue to do so. It would prove counter-
productive if Canberra chooses to respond, as some Australian media
reports suggest, by reminding India to put its house in order first
rather than acting in accordance with its reputation as one of the
safest countries to live in."
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Pause-for-Oz/575865
(intero articolo di sotto)
--
Facts Down Under
The Australian police have charged an Indian who had claimed to have
been burnt in a racist attack, as attempting insurance fraud. This
follows the police’s claim that Ranjodh Singh, whose body was found in
New South Wales last December, was killed by two other Indians. These
claims still have to backed by a court of law, but it muddies the all
too shrill narrative about racist Australians pummelling Indian
victims, a news TV narrative that has grown bigger and louder by
feeding on itself. This is not to downplay the incidents of violence
being reported in Australia’s cities. It is to question the knee-jerk
categorisation of all urban crime as racism, and allowing a television
studio onslaught to determine relations between two countries.
The narrative is not just inaccurate, it is self-defeating. A heavy-
handed advisory to Indian students studying or intending to study in
Australia has predictably created anxiety for the 100,000-odd Indians
already enrolled there. And by ramping up the diplomatic pitch and
rebuffing the Australian authorities’ plea that every attack must be
investigated for its unique circumstances, brakes have been put on a
key emerging trade and strategic partner. The news TV hysteria also
misrepresents what the larger story is. For tens of thousands of
Indians, many of them denied the chance of a decent education in this
country for lack of opportunities for higher education, the relocation
is about aspiration and hope. Magnifying the threat perception is to
deny thousands of young Indians the chance of making informed choices.
There is already a 46 per cent drop in Indian student visa
applications to Australia. It does not signal a battle won for the
Indian self-interest. It represents a closing of options based on
complete misrepresentation of urban crime as a pattern of ethnic
violence.
The prime minister must step in to return rationality to the ministry
of external affairs. If the junior and senior foreign ministers are
allowed to keep up their competition in jingoism with studio
discussants, greater harm could befall this country’s expatriate
student population and its diplomatic interests.
--
Pause for Oz
Given the pounding Australia-India relations are currently undergoing,
we should ponder some key questions. First, what is the fundamental
problem in addressing the issue of attacks against Indian students?
Second, is Australia a racist country? Third, what viable approaches
are available to
address the problem? Fourth, is the “Indian reaction” just? And fifth,
what is required on both fronts?
First, the basic problem is the divergent official definitions of the
problem itself. For India, some attacks carry racist motives; for
Australia, they are solely law and order issues. Arriving at a common
definition will help. Recently, defence chief Peter Cosgrove and Kevin
Rudd’s nephew, Van Thanh Rudd, commented the attacks may have been
racially motivated; but in a court of law, is racism so easy to
establish? For instance, the testimony of Indian students,
irrespective of truthfulness, will always be seen as knee-jerk — more
so after recent revelations suggest that the Ranjodh Singh and
Jaspreet incidents were not racist. Thus, Australia’s willingness to
investigate the racist dimension will emanate solely from political
goodwill, institutional honesty and humane considerations, rather than
evidence.
Second, I cannot speak for all Indians in Australia, but personally,
since I and my family migrated to Australia in 2007 I never faced
racism. Painting the entire nation or the law enforcement agencies as
racists by a certain section of the Indian media is unreasonably and
hasty. Yes, racism is common in every state and society, but what
matters is how it is addressed. Australia has set high standards,
driven by its strong belief since 1967 in multiculturalism and
pluralism and should continue to do so. It would prove counter-
productive if Canberra chooses to respond, as some Australian media
reports suggest, by reminding India to put its house in order first
rather than acting in accordance with its reputation as one of the
safest countries to live in.
Third, for Australia, short-term strategy must eradicate the fear
psychosis which has engulfed Indian students lately. This necessitates
heightened patrolling of vulnerable areas, increased surveillance of
public places and greater engagement with the students. In the medium-
term, Australia and India must cleanse and regulate the international
education industry. Thankfully, official attention now has focused on
preventing fraud, but given its vastness, it will take 3-5 years to
purge the dodgy agents.
The long-term solution requires revisiting school education in
Australia and the role of parents as partners in raising responsible
citizens. Australian laws mandate special responsibilities to schools
to prevent racism and discrimination and to sustain a multicultural
society. The familial social unit needs to support that work.
Fourth, the so-called ‘Indian reaction’ has been scrutinised at length
in Australia — construing the reaction of a certain section of the
Indian media as official, which is misleading. The official response
has in fact been measured and responsible. Foreign Minister S.M.
Krishna cautioning against any adverse impact of the attacks in
bilateral ties has come after much waiting and criticism from the
Opposition, particularly on the right, that the government has been
too soft. In a setting as complex as India’s, the media revolution has
strengthened the democratic ethos but complicated the government’s
task as well. While over 60 per cent of the Indian population awakes
with a crisp newspaper and a cup of tea in hand, 80 per cent of the
population enjoys cable news television at peanut tariffs. In
practice, jingoistic reporting (“Ku Klux Klan”-type name-calling) can
do great harm to bilateral ties. On this point, the Australian
displeasure is justified and it is encouraging that the Indian
government has cautioned the media against sensationalism. Its
credibility stands challenged in any case, following the recent
revelations in the Jaspreet Singh and Ranjodh Singh case;
acknowledging that some reports were off the mark would do a world of
good to its reputation.
And fifth, patience on part of India, especially parents of the
victims, will make the task of the Australian government and law-
enforcement agencies much easier. India, given its own experience in
dealing with chronic social conflicts and discrimination, perhaps
understands that there are no quick-fix solutions to social evils such
as racism, and even if Australia acknowledged the existence of racist
motives in some of the attacks, prevention and eradication will take
time. Likewise, Australia must realise that such attacks will make
headlines in India and fuel public anger and so any prompt security
response will guard its credibility and help New Delhi in soothing
frayed tempers at home. Acknowledging possible racial motives in some
attacks will not amount to labeling the country as racist, just as in
the Indian case, official admission of communalism and casteism does
not make the country communal or casteist.
An honest and bold policy response is what is required. Australian
High Commissioner Peter Verghese observed that Australia cannot
guarantee hundred per cent safety to its citizens — no country can.
The Victorian Chief Commissioner of Police Simon Overland recently
admitted that “there is no question, regardless of the motives, Indian
students have to a degree been targeted in robberies and that is not
OK.” Such admissions can calm tensions, maintain diplomatic goodwill
and augment trust.
The writer is at the Centre of Excellence in Policing and Security at
Griffith University in Brisbane

 #_Non so da cosa derivino questi tuoi accenni alla verita`.
Da indiani come questi, per esempio.  Spiega la tua verit� a loro.
#_Leggere 100 articoli per stabilire se le reazioni agli incidenti sono
paranoiche o no e` impossibile.
I fatti son quelli che contano e ognuno puo`trarne le sue conclusioni.
I maggiori incidenti si registrano li' a Melbourne; allora basta rendersi
conto di quello che il capo della polizia  di Victoria, va affermando qui
sotto.
----
<<  The Victorian Chief Commissioner of Police Simon Overland recently
admitted that �there is no question, regardless of the motives, Indian
students have to a degree been targeted in robberies and that is not OK.�
 >>(segue)...
----
#_L'incremento di incidenti esiste ed e` preoccupante soprattutto per chi ne
e` al centro; se ne cerca la causa senza sminuire o magnificare nulla;
essendo Melbourne la citta`con un famoso campo di cricket si crede che il
fortissimo tifo e la rivalita`dei due gruppi (indiani e australiani) sia una
causa deglii attriti.
-----
(di seguito)...<< Such admissions can calm tensions, maintain diplomatic
goodwill and augment trust.>>
-----
#_Questa conclusione IMO e`sbagliata, in quanto se da un lato vorrebbe
creare fiducia nel Governo di Victoria, aumenta i dubbi e le preoccupazioni
per il comportamento degli australiani di Melbourne.
Conferma ( e`ovvio)  che non esiste una politica xenofoba dei due pesi, due
misure, ma i cittadini si comportano differentemente, purtroppo; e`inutile
negarlo.

 negarlo.
Non ho capito: i cittadini di uno paese (qui, Australia) si comportano
differentemente fra sé, o i cittadini di Australia si comportano
differentemente di quelli indiani?  Spero che non voglia dire che gli
stranieri non vengano maltrattati anche in India.  Conosci forse cosa
sta accadendo, contemporaneamente, alle ragazze russe (una aveva solo
nove anni) in Goa, e questa è sola una storia.  वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्, si
dice in sanscrito, "tutto il mondo è una sola famiglia", ed è
verissimo: una sola famiglia di psicopatici.

 negarlo.
Non ho capito: i cittadini di uno paese (qui, Australia) si comportano
differentemente fra s�, o i cittadini di Australia si comportano
differentemente di quelli indiani?
[cut]
#_Mi riferivo alle affermazioni dei politici che differiscono dal 
comportamento di una gran parte dei cittadini australiani. E` impossibile ad 
un ministro della sicurezza ammettere che si tratti di xenofobia (ovvio) ,ma 
il rapporto del capo della polizia di Melbourne da' da pensarlo.
Credo pero` che i numeri riportati dal Capo della Polizia siano 
inconfutabili e mostrino un netto aumento in quest'anno.
I motivi possono facilmente essere causati dalla rivalita` profonda fra 
tifosi del cricket, che iniziano negli stadi e si trascinano nel tempo come 
faide.
Per quanto brutto, sarebbe un motivo piu`accettabile sapere che l'attrito 
fra le comunita`sia nato solo per la rivalita` sportiva.
(Non conosco quello che sia successo alla ragazza russa a Goa. Ma gli 
indiani penso che se la prendono tra loro)

Mi discpiace mandare tanto testo inglese ma sai che questo tipo
d'informazione su India non è abbondante in italiano.  Questa è
un'intervista al nuovo commissionario di Australia in India (non per
caso un uomo etnicamente indiano, nato qui, cresciuto a Kenya, vissuto
da decenni in Australia) in cui viene detto tutto sull'affare con
tutta la perspicuità e intelligenza che si potrebbe volere.
--
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/we-will-not-accept-the-assumption-that-every-time-something-happens-to-indian-students-in-australia-it-is-racism/576563/0
‘We will not accept the assumption that every time something happens
to Indian students in Australia, it is racism’
With the recent attacks on Indian students in Australia, these are
difficult times for the two countries. In this Idea Exchange moderated
by Executive Editor Unni Rajen Shanker, Australian High Commissioner
to India Peter Varghese says that there is no evidence to prove that
Indians are being singled out
UNNI RAJEN SHANKER: Is this the toughest assignment you have had so
far?
I have been in the diplomatic service for more than 30 years. In the
course of this career, I have had a few tough assignments. This has
been a difficult period in bilateral relations. We can deal with it
and move forward because our interests are coming closer. But at the
moment this issue (of alleged racist attacks on Indians in Australia)
is draining a lot of oxygen out of our ability to do that.
UNNI RAJEN SHANKER: Every day, there are media reports of attacks on
Indian students. The Indian government has issued a travel advisory
for students going to study in Australia. What is it like to face such
a situation?
I do not know whether those media reports are accurate. If you have to
run solely with the messages that you are getting in the media, then
you run a risk of getting a distorted picture about what’s happening
in Australia and about the nature of Australian society and how safe
the country is. It is a serious issue but keep in mind a few things:
by any global standards, Australia is a relatively safe society. If
you look at robbery rates, assault rates and crime rates, we come out
well below the global average. For the vast majority of international
students, the experience is a positive and safe one. I do not want to
leave you with a sense that we are complacent about it or that we rely
on global average figures to deal with the issue because we are taking
a lot of steps to deal with this situation. We are dealing with the
law and order issue because, first and foremost, it is a law and order
issue. We are dealing with crime. We have increased policing resources
in Victoria where many such incidents have occurred. We have doubled
the size of the robbery task force. We have set up liaisons between
the police and Indian students and other international student groups.
The Victorian government has announced a 24x7 centre which will field
questions and complaints and provide assistance to international
students. We have changed legislation to impose tougher penalties for
hate and race crimes. We have given the Victorian police wider
authority to search for weapons. We will brief students before they
leave India about life in urban Australia, the dos and don’ts. So, we
do take the situation seriously to the extent that any of the crimes
are racially motivated—some of them clearly are. That is something we,
as a government, condemn without qualification and for which we will
have zero tolerance.
COOMI KAPOOR: A lot of Indians feel Australia is burying its head in
the sand and does not believe the attacks are specifically aimed at
Indian students. Don’t the statistics show that attacks on Chinese or
West Indian students are much lower than attacks on Indians?
When it comes to a breakdown by nationality, the statistics are not
adequate. Our police forces do not collect statistics based on
nationality or occupation. So I am not in position to prove, one way
or the other, whether Indians are singled out or not. I know the
perception here is that Indians are singled out. The empirical
evidence is not clear.
COOMI KAPOOR: Has the Australian government tried to find out why
there is antagonism towards Indians?
I don’t accept your premise that what we are seeing here is a
reflection of antagonism. Most of these attacks are examples of urban
crimes. Some of these attacks appear to be racial attacks and they
will be dealt in police investigations and in court proceedings. Since
the incidents started, we have 50 arrests of perpetrators of crimes
against Indian nationals. We would rather not jump to conclusions
whether the incident is motivated by racism or not. We should wait for
the investigations to finish and come out with the facts. This is very
important and here’s why: the case of Ranjot Singh, who was burnt to
death in Griffith on December 29, was reported as a racist attack in
the Indian and Australian media. Last week, three people were arrested
and they are all Indian students. The point is, let these cases run
through the course of the investigation and if racism is the cause, we
will find out about it and deal with it. But the assumption that every
time something happens to Indian students in Australia, it is about
racism, we will not accept.
DHIRAJ NAYYAR: Would you buy the hypothesis that Australia has a
problem with immigration? That Indians or other nationalities are
taking away jobs from Australians?
Let me make this clear: I have never said this has nothing to do with
racism. I have said some of these attacks have been motivated by
racism and we have acknowledged that. I don’t think this is reflective
of emerging or existing problems with immigration. Australia is a high
immigration country and we have been since World War II. By and large,
that immigration process has worked well. The majority of Australians
believe the immigration programme is in the interests of the country
and they support the completely non-discriminatory policy.
RAJ KAMAL JHA: Did something go wrong in Australia’s public relations
handling of the situation that you let it reach a stage where every
incident is seen as a racist attack in India and the media gives it a
spin?
In terms of perceptions which have been media-generated, once an image
takes hold in a media-rich environment, it is difficult to bring it
back—even if the initial image was a distortion. That is the position
in India at the moment. There is a perception of Australia as an
unsafe, racist country which is singling out Indians. We have been
trying to put the debate in perspective, to put the facts on the
table. We have invited Indian journalists to Australia to look into
the incidents for themselves. We have encouraged the Indian community
leaders in Australia to share their experiences of being Indian in
Australia.
There’s another aspect to this: there has been a radical change in the
profile of Indian students in Australia. Traditionally, Indian
students were from well-off backgrounds or they were on full
scholarships. In the last several years, a different type of student
is coming into the country, someone who has taken a large loan to
finance studying in Australia, typically someone who is doing not a
university course or studying at a government-run institute but
someone who is doing a course at a private vocational university with
the clear intention of using that as a means of gaining permanent
residence in Australia. That is perfectly legitimate. But what happens
when Indian students arriving in Australia are under financial
pressure? First, you look for shift work, often it pays you more. If
you are working a night shift that immediately puts you in the
category of high risk occupations—driving taxis at night, working in
24-hour fast food outlets or petrol pumps. Second, you seek cheap
accommodation. By and large, those neighbourhoods have high crime
rates. So you have a profile of students who are working in more
dangerous occupations and commuting at 2-3 a.m. in higher crime zones.
In part, this explains why we have seen a number of attacks on
Indians. I want to be absolutely clear. I am not blaming the victims
for the attacks. I am not saying if you choose to do shift work or
seek cheap neighbourhoods, you deserve this. But I think these issues
need to be put on the table.
SHUBHAJIT ROY: Do you think the Indian government and the Indian media
have over reacted?
I don’t see any over reaction. It’s perfectly understandable that the
Indian government wants to convey a level of concern that exists in
the Indian community on this matter. Australia probably puts out more
travel advisories than other countries do. We are a country which
constantly gives advice to our travelling citizens on what to expect,
what to avoid and what sensible actions to take. I have no problem
with the travel advisory issued by the Indian government last month.
But it is important to keep the government-to-government relationship
as uncontaminated as possible from what is happening. It is not as if
the Australian government is responsible for these attacks. My
perspective is to keep the relationship working well and focusing on
the bigger bilateral agenda that includes economic trade, investment,
political and strategic relations, multilateral issues like the G-20,
people-to-people contacts.
MANEESH CHHIBBER: Do you foresee a sharp decline in the number of
Indian students going to Australia?
We will see a reduction in the number of Indian students going to
Australia in 2010. It will be a reasonably significant reduction and
there would be several facts behind it: the cost of living in
Australia, the higher rates of exchange with the Australian dollar,
the increase in the amount of money from January 1 that applicants
must have in the bank, which has been raised so that they can cover
their cost of living in Australia. There are also the visa integrity
measures we have taken in the past several months to satisfy ourselves
that those who are applying for student visas are genuine and that the
intended course of study is a proper course of study. All these would
see a reduction in the number of students. But I do not think this
could be seen as a number game.
AMITABH SINHA: There is a perception that Australian universities are
easier to get into. These attract non-serious students. Are you
looking into this aspect?
I do not think there’s a real issue in relation with our universities.
The entry requirements for our universities are quite stringent and by
international standards, hold up well.
MANU PUBBY: In Indian strategic circles, Australia has seen the rise
of the Indian military, especially the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean
region, with a hint of suspicion. Do you think it is time to reengage
in a strategic sense?
We should be engaging closely on strategic issues. We would see the
Indian Ocean as one area where Australia and Indian can work together
strategically. We both have a strong interest in the stability of the
region and protection of sea line communications. The other strategic
meeting point would be of how you ensure the stability of Asia when
tectonic plates are shifting in terms of economic power, gradually,
from west to east. How do you ensure that a strong China or a strong
India, a substantial Japan and a growing Korea don’t come together in
destabilising ways? These are important question in the next 30 years.
I think Australia and India have a natural congruence of interests on
these strategic questions.
NEHA SINHA: What is the one thing you would say to someone who has
never been to Australia, has no family support there and who wants to
go to study there?
Turn off you TVs! More seriously, I would say, Australia is a safe
country. We can provide good quality education and the experience of
living in Australia—now a pluralist and racially and culturally
diverse society—is what they should look forward to. They should look
past the current static and look at what is in Australia.
SHUBHAJIT ROY: You were the adviser on international affairs to former
PM John Howard. That was when an exception was made to supply uranium
to India. Tell us how that exception was made and what went wrong
thereafter.
The decision which Prime Minister John Howard took to support uranium
sales to India was taken after I left his office. Australian policy on
selling uranium to only parties who signed the NPT (non-proliferation
treaty) dates back to the 1970s. It was put in place by a Liberal
Party government led by Malcolm Fraser and remained the bipartisan
position till John Howard decided that he would adopt a different
position. The background to Howard’s decision was the prospective Indo-
US nuclear deal which was not completely signed, sealed and delivered
then, and the NSG (Nuclear Supply Group) exemption process had yet to
occur. In the Labour Party, the view of only selling to NPT countries
was strongly held. The uranium and nuclear issue has been sensitive
issues domestically and when Labour came to power in 2007, they
returned to the original policy.
RAHUL SHARMA: Are Australian universities coming up with customised
courses? Is the Australian government talking to private universities
on this front?
We are doing a lot of things to tighten up matters. The system was not
working the way it should. The private institution will be
legitimised. Private institutions that do not have the adequate
resources and quality are being shut down. We have introduced new
legislation to toughen up the process.
RAHUL SHARMA: Could your government assure international students that
the situation will be under control in the next few months?
We cannot promise to control crime. We will be less credible if we
give such an undertaking. We will ensure Australia remains a safe
place. We are not there yet but we will get there.
Transcribed by Pragya Kaushika
www.indianexpress.com
--
सर्वं जिह्मं मृत्युपदमार्जवं ब्रह्मणः पदम्।
एतावाञ्ज्ञानविषयः किं प्रलापः करिष्यति॥
महाभारतम् १४।११।४

 indiani penso che se la prendono tra loro)
Lei, ragazza di nove anni, fu violentata pure nella presenza della
madre, solo il più orrificante di una serie senza fine di assalti
sessuali contro le donne straniere, particolarmente quelle russe, a
Goa.