Have racist allegations affected Indo-Australian relations?

The publisher of the Brisbane Indian Times, Mr Umesh Chandra discusses the alleged racist attacks against Indian students living in Australia.

Umesh says “Queensland Police Services and Indian High Commission have been very proactive in examining the few incidents that have come up on the Gold Coast “

According to him due to the cases reported in Sydney and Melbourne, the police in Queensland were more aware about what needed to be done in terms of talking to the victims and resolving the situation.

Indian news channels like NDTV, IBN and Aaj Tak covered the news of these attacks, dubbed Australia as a racist country and fuelled protests against racism against Indians.

One Indian newspaper, Outlook India, quoted Van Thanh Rudd leader of the Revolutionary Socialist Party, and nephew of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd blatantly stating that the reported attacks were racist and that Australians are in fact racist.

According to a story published in The Australian the latest police statistics for 2007-2008 show that 1447 Indians have been the victims of crime and assault in Australia.

While Australia has largely stayed mum on the subject, giving it very little media coverage within the country, Australian foreign affairs minister Stephen Smith expressed his government’s regret over the attacks while talking to a group of students in New Delhi in March 2010.

There has been a 46 percent drop in Indians applying for student visas from July-October 2009 and a 26 percent drop in visa applications from all countries including India as shown in an article by The Age.

While serious incidents involving Indian students in Australia have not been reported in the last few months, Indian students are opting to go elsewhere to pursue their further education. And while both countries share amicable relationships at the moment, one can only wonder whether underlying problems have truly been resolved and put in the past or whether we have yet to witness the repercussions.