'No big impact on S'pore tourists'

'No big impact on S'pore tourists'

SINGAPORE (AFP): Australia has expressed regret for attacks against Singaporeans and vowed to take steps against racial harassment directed at Asians, Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar told parliament yesterday.

Jayakumar, replying to queries on the current racial debate in Australia, said there was no indication of any "significant numbers" of Singaporean tourists, students and businessmen avoiding Australia because of the incidents.

Four Singaporean servicemen undergoing training near Rockhampton, Queensland suffered harassment in October. Two incidents involved verbal abuse, one involved assault and another involved assault and robbery, Jayakumar said.

A Singapore student in Queensland also reported an assault, while other Singapore students in Australia have complained of verbal abuse, he said.

The incidents occurred amid a furor over race and immigration levels sparked by independent Australian MP Pauline Hanson, who has split the nation with her warning that Australia risked being "swamped by Asians".