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.