Melbourne: India on Monday expressed its
disappointment over Victorian Premier John Brumby cancelling
his planned trip to Mumbai during his India visit beginning
Tuesday following a travel advisory that terrorists may be
planning attacks in the city.
Indian Consul-General in Melbourne Anita Nayar said
the Premier should have visited Mumbai to send a message that
Australians were determined not to be frightened away.
"It would have been great if the premier could have
sent that message but I understand that there are
constraints," she told reporters here.
"We would have liked him to visit Mumbai. (But) one
can never predict what is going to happen. If he had gone and
something happened, everybody would say why did you go?" she
said.
Brumby had altered his itinerary after Australia`s
foreign affairs department on Friday issued a travel advisory
warning about the possibility of attacks in Mumbai. He will
now spend more time in New Delhi after omitting Mumbai from
his itinerary for Wednesday and Thursday.
"We need to be guided by advice that comes from DFAT.
That advice came in last week and over the weekend. The
unanimous view of the Victoria Police, my department head
and my office was that I should change my program and I`ve
done that," Brumby said.
Bureau Report
