Racist attacks intolerable to Australia, says Smith

New Delhi, March 4 (ANI): Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, presently on a three-day India visit, reiterated on Thursday that there is no tolerance for racist attacks in his country.

"We condemn any attack on an individual student. We, particularly, find any attack contemptible with racial or racist overturn association with it and we have no tolerance for such conducts. It doesn't reflect modern Australia which is tolerant, multicultural society," said Smith while speaking to the media persons.

Earlier, Smith also met Minister for Overseas Indians Vayalar Ravi.

Smith's visit to India has come in the wake of a series of attacks on Indian nationals. The visit is aimed to strengthen bilateral ties.

During his meet with the Indian minister, Smith said that unlike the tension between Canberra and New Delhi following the attacks on Indian students, the Indo-Australian relations had improved much and progress further.

"He made all the assurance that whatever steps have been taken, those steps will be strengthened further to protect the Indian students. The (Australian) federal government as well as the state governments together are taking steps for the protection of the (Indian) students," said Ravi.

Around 4,000 Indian students have cancelled their plans to study Down Under after the attacks.

The foreign student market is Australia's third-largest foreign exchange earner and it was worth 13 billion Australian dollars (12 billion US dollars) in 2007-08. (ANI)