Global General

Official: Australia safe for int'l students

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-05 10:36

CANBERRA: Despite a number of attacks against Indians, Australia is a safe place for international students, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard says on Tuesday.

Accounting graduate Nitin Garg, 21, was stabbed to death on his way to his part-time job at a Hungry Jacks fast food outlet in Melbourne's western suburbs on Saturday night.

While police investigations are underway, Victorian police have said there's no evidence the attack was racially motivated.

Gillard stressed that violent acts can occur anywhere in the world. "Obviously we've seen the death of a young man in Melbourne, that act is to be condemned by every Australian," she said on Tuesday.

She said Australia is overwhelmingly a safe place. "We all know, tragically, in the world that we live in, whether you're in Melbourne, or whether you're in New Delhi, you can come to grief through violent incidents."

The attack is the latest in a series against Indians in Australia and has been widely condemned in India.

Gillard stressed on Tuesday Australia is a safe place to study and called on Australians to go out of their way to make the half a million international students feel at home.