Australian PM Julia Gillard
Concerned about Security in India as Delhi 2010 CWG Remain Under a Cloud
The bruised and battered organizers of the Commonwealth Games received another jolt when the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard asked visitors from her country to exercise restraint whilst travelling to the venue of the Games
as a number of terrorist attacks had taken place in New Delhi in the last ten years or so.
Gillard reminded her countrymen that security over there was volatile and it was important for the local authorities to work closely with the tourists to ensure that the Games went ahead without any untoward incident.
"I do remind Australians that for a considerable period of time our travel advice in relation to India has asked Australians to exercise a high degree of caution in India, our travel advice has made clear that there is a high risk
of terrorism in New Delhi and our travel advice has made clear that since 2000 there have been at least 14 major terrorist attacks in New Delhi.”
She added that it was important for the image of the country to hold an incident-free Games, and for the time being it seems a distinct possibility given the dicey preparations for the event.
"Now this travel advisory reflects our best assessment of the safety and security issues in India and we will of course continue to monitor the security environment in India very closely. And while security in India is ultimately
a matter for the Indian government we have also boosted the number of officials we have in New Delhi and we have others on stand-by," she said.
She declined to comment when asked about the details of the security arrangements in New Delhi.
There are unclear reports about the background of the officials as their identity has not been disclosed, leaving media speculating that whether by "officials" she meant military personnel or spy agencies.
She reiterated that her government was not keen on intervening on the participation of the athletes asserting that it was their individual choice.
She, however, sympathized with the Indian government by saying that she was confident that New Delhi would overcome the problems and put up a decent show.
On the other hand, Canada will delay sending athletes to New Delhi for the event as they are concerned about the health and safety conditions within the athletes’ village which has been at the centre of media attention for all
the wrong reasons.
According to the reports emanating from the North American country, the national women's field hockey team and two shooting athletes, who had to depart for India on Thursday evening, will remain in their country for at least two
more days.
The CGC also revealed that national archers Kevin Tataryn and Dietmar Trillus, who were the leading contenders in their respective categories, were clearly perturbed with the reports of mismanagement and lack of security in the
Indian capital and subsequently decided to withdraw from the Games.
The Canadian contingent for the Games includes support staff, medical professionals, and operations experts besides communications personnel.
As per the original plan, they were scheduled to leave on Wednesday but have now been asked to stand down for at least 48 hours.
Many officials who have inspected the venue at the athletes' village described them as absolutely uninhabitable. The bathrooms were described as filthy and unhygienic, adding to a growing list of concerns for the CGC.
The organisers are putting in a real effort to salvage their lost pride and keep the event from descending into chaos and full-scale boycott.
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