CANBERRA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government will offer compensation to the victims of the Sri Lanka terrorist attacks in April.
The government on Sunday officially declared the Easter bombings a terrorist act under the Australian Victims of Terrorism Overseas Payment (AVTOP) scheme.
It means that any Australian resident who was harmed or lost a family member in the attacks can apply for a one-off payment of 75,000 Australian dollars (51,279 U.S. dollars) from the government.
Peter Dutton, the Minister for Home Affairs, told Nine Entertainment newspapers that the bombings were a "sickening attack" that "devastated and changed lives forever."
"This scheme is fair and compassionate and was set up by Prime Minister (Tony) Abbott and continues under the Morrison Government.
"We condemn those responsible for the horrific terrorist attacks on innocents and have extended our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those killed and injured, and to the government and people of Sri Lanka."
Three churches and three hotels in major Sri Lankan cities were targeted in a series of coordinated suicide bombings on April 21.
More than 250 people were killed and hundreds injured.
The government also declared an attack in India in 2007 a terrorist attack for the purposes of the AVTOP scheme.
Two simultaneous suicide bombings occurred at a restaurant and an amusement park in Hyderabad, India in August 2007, killing 42 people and injuring 50.
The latest additions bring the number of international attacks recognized by the Australian government as acts of terror for the purposes of the AVTOP scheme to 42.
