The Hindu : Front Page : We’ll use force of law to tackle attacks: Rudd

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Friday, Nov 13, 2009
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We’ll use force of law to tackle attacks: Rudd

Special Correspondent

Australian PM deeply disturbed by violence against foreign students
“Let us calmly work together to deal with future challenges as they arise”

NEW DELHI: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Thursday sought to reassure India that the country would deal with the attacks on foreign students with the force of the law.

“As Prime Minister of Australia, I am deeply disturbed and disgusted by attacks of violence against any foreign students studying in our country as guests. There have been criminal attacks targeting Indian students for the little money they earn to support their studies. These attacks will not be tolerated,” Mr. Rudd told the Indian Council of World Affairs.

He said the Australian government was working with all its states to make sure that everything was done to protect overseas students. At the same time, no government could guarantee that no acts of violence would occur. “Let us calmly work together to deal with future challenges as they arise.”

Uranium export

As for Australia’s position not to export uranium to countries that have not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Mr. Rudd said it was not directed against India but had been applied uniformly to all countries since 1978. Yet, Australia had actively supported India while the Nuclear Suppliers Group took the decision to lift the nuclear moratorium against New Delhi after the India-U.S. nuclear deal. “This reflected Australia’s appreciation of India’s non-proliferation record,” he said.

India and Australia were working together on matters that affected the wellbeing of literally everyone in the world, Mr. Rudd said. He looked forward to working with New Delhi in the global endeavour.

Describing both countries as natural partners in the Asia-Pacific community, he said both have a long-established, significant and growing interest in this region and have a shared vision of cooperation. That is why Australia wanted India to take part in all key regional fora including the East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum and supported its membership of APEC.

Mr. Rudd said Australia is keen that Asia Pacific Community evolves with the ability to address the emerging spectrum of economic, political and security challenges Australia is hosting a conference in December in Sydney to discuss this growing regional recognition that none of the current regional institutes are doing this.

He said the challenge before the Asia-Pacific is to manage the inevitable stresses and strains of shifting economic and strategic contours.

“The Asia Pacific is where the big power relationships among the U.S., India, China, Japan and Russia are forged…We need strong regional engagement and a strong regional mechanism to ensure that strategic cooperation rather than friction – or worse, strategic polarisation – prevails. Nobody wants a strategic fault line through Asia. Nor should anybody see such a fault line as inevitable.”

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