Australian police probe threats to Asian envoys

Australian police probe threats to Asian envoys

SYDNEY (Reuter): Australian police are investigating abusive letters sent to some Asian diplomats and vandalism at the Chinese consulate, a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

The spokesman said the Malaysian consulate in Sydney had received some abusive letters, but he declined to specify their contents.

The spokesman said police were also investigating an incident in which windows were broken at the Chinese consulate-general over a four-day period in late October.

However, the ministry spokesman said it was not known if the incidents were in any way related to the heated racism debate that had engulfed Australia over the past two months.

"We have absolutely no way of knowing (whether this is related to the racism debate) because obviously until the police can find the people who are involved and know their motivation, no one can say what motivated them," the spokesman said.

"All I can say is we don't know who perpetrated the incidents," the spokesman told Reuters.

"We've handed the matter over to the police and it's up to them to investigate it."

New South Wales state police said bricks were thrown and marbles were fired from a sling shot on four nights between Oct. 15 and 18, twice causing damage to the consulate.

Police in the northern state of Queensland said in late October that they were investigating two attacks on visiting soldiers from Singapore.

The news prompted media reports that the attacks were racially-motivated, despite police saying there was no evidence to support that claim.

Independent politician Pauline Hanson sparked the debate on racism and immigration in her first speech to parliament on Sept. 10.

Hanson said Australia was being swamped by Asians and warned of an Asian invasion threat.

But Prime Minister John Howard has on many occasions denied that Australia is a racist country, accusing the media of inflaming the issue by emphasizing the opinions of a minority group.

Meanwhile AFP reported that a senior Malaysia minister yesterday advised Malaysian residents in Australia to return if they were discriminated against.

"There are a lot of opportunities in Malaysia. If you are not welcomed there (Australia), do come back to your own country," said Rafidah Aziz, the minister of international trade and industry.

Malaysians who had given up their citizenships could also return to do business, Rafidah was reported saying by Bernama news agency.

Rafidah said the anti-Asian stance of some Australians would not augur well for Australia, as the country could not afford to be insular.

Australia should not talk about being part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) when some segments of its community (Asians) were not looked upon kindly, she said.

"Australia's own economic development was not just contributed by the natural Australians themselves but also those who had come into the country as permanent residents or citizens from Asia and elsewhere," said Rafidah.

If she were in their situation, she said: "I would pack up and go, especially when you are not welcomed in a country which you had contributed to".

The immigrants were contributing in terms of capital, human resource and expertise, said Rafidah. "It's not that they were on the dole."

APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.