Indian Australians say bilateral ties improving

Sydney, Jan.23 (ANI): Indian immigrants in Australia say there is a lot of improvement in bilateral relations between the two countries.

Shams, an Indian immigrant, said that comparatively there is lot of improvement in the relations between the two countries.

"Now, it is going fine. There is a lot of improvement. Many white customers come to my shop and buy various items and there is much improvement in the relations," said Shams.

A series of attacks on Indian students in 2009, attributed by police to opportunistic criminals, escalated into a diplomatic row between Australia and India after some Indian students and Indian media labeled the attacks as racist.

The attacks prompted protests and call for better protection of international students by local authorities, with some saying they no longer feel safe in Australia.

Anu Raju, another Indian immigrant, said every effort is being made towards improving India and Australia relations.

"I think, I do believe that every effort is made towards improvement but probably media over raised everything that happens. Well, I think both parties hold equal responsibilities. From Indian point of view, you might feel the Australians were unjust but I think Indian migrating to this country also takes responsibility of integrating and putting it through the proper channels rather than taking it overboard. I personally feel responsibilities stands in both parties. It is not that one party should be blamed either ways, whether it is the Indian side or the Australian side," said Raju.

Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna last visited Australia in 2009 for emergency talks on a series of much-publicized attacks on Indian students in Victoria. The attacks had prompted a sharp decline in the number of Indian students seeking Australian visa.

The attacks caused some diplomatic discomfort between the two countries and sparked angry protests in India.

Australia's international student sector is the country's third-largest export earner, behind oil and coal. Some 93,000 Indian students study in Australia. (ANI)