Racist attacks on Indian students unacceptable: PM

Describing the racial violence against Indian students in Australia as "unacceptable", an "appalled" Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said he proposed to involve himself in a high-level engagement with that country on the issue.

"I do agree that our students have been subject of unacceptable attacks," he said in Rajya Sabha replying to a debate on the President's address to Parliament.

"I have been appalled by the senseless violence and crime, some of which are racist in nature," Singh had said earlier in the Lok Sabha.

The Prime Minister said he was willing to "engage in a high-level dialogue" with the Australian leadership to take stock of the situation and provide adequate security to Indian students.

He said he had already spoken to his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd who has deplored the attacks. "He (Rudd) has assured me that any racist attack against Indian students will be sternly dealt with," he said adding that the Australian Prime Minister also made a statement in this regard in that country's parliament.

Singh also asked the media to be mindful of the fact that there are over two lakh Australian citizens of Indian origin. "The media has to be mindful of this fact and not willy-nilly create a situation that these citizens become targets of racial attacks," he said.