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Australian Prime Minister Kevin Michael Rudd, who is in India on a three-day itinerary, has mentioned that he cannot provide "iron-clad guarantee" that Indian students would not be subjected to attacks in his nation in future, saying that he would be dishonest or irresponsible of he does that.
But he has mentioned that he could assure that ‘zero-tolerance” approach would be adopted by Australia against such cases.
"As Prime Minister of Australia, I accept responsibility for the criminal justice system there. But I cannot provide an iron-clad guarantee that such attacks would not occur in the future," said Rudd, while bringing the curtains down for his Indian visit.
"I cannot say to you that because, we are dealing with such large numbers -- half a million foreign students -- that you can rule out possibility of such incidents. I cannot say that. That will be irresponsible and dishonest," he said.
"They have been criminal attacks targeting Indian students for the little money they earn to support their studies. They will be dealt with by the full force of the Australian law enforcement and criminal justice systems," he stressed.
He also denied accepting that Australia is becoming the home to racism, mentioning that Australia is the home to people speaking 300 different languages, with 43% of people born abroad or having parents born abroad.
"What I can say is that in terms of overall levels of criminal violence in Australia be it assault or murder, comparable in the western standards, is very low. Looking at what's right and what's wrong will clearly help to deal with the things better in the future," he added.
He, however, added in a realistic vein that although no government can guarantee that no acts of violence will occur, India and Australia should "calmly work together to deal with future challenges".
He appreciated the 250,000 Indian-origin people of Australia for their contributions to Australian economy.
Rudd had mentioned earlier on Thursday that Indian students were always welcome as guests in Australia.
"They are important for the Australian economy and we want them to stay amicably in a cordial manner," said Rudd, during an interaction with business leaders at the Taj Mahal hotel in New Delhi.
"The Australian government is committed to do all that is physically possible to ensure that all international students in Australia have safe and rewarding experience," he said at a luncheon meeting hosted by industry chambers CII, FICCI and Assocham in New Delhi.
