Runner, you call yourself a christian, yet you post such an appalling antisocial comment without evidence. Your Pastor will not be pleased.

I do hestitate Nazeem, for a number of reasons.

One is that the Indian media (mainly Times of India and TV News) have been hyperventilating the story but much of their copy is being lifted straight from News Ltd or Fairfax. They then add in blog copy as quotes.

I reckon T of I could afford an Indian correspondent, but there is only one freelancer in Australia, who I have met a number of times. She is carrying the whole load.

I don't doubt the assaults took place and that maybe even some of them were racially motivated but that's about as far as it goes.

I'm afraid Australia isn't perfect but we don't burn christians in their cars as we saw in the early 1990s in India (the Stynes), nor do we knock down mosques and erect Hindu shrines on the rubble. And Australians don't run in to tourist hotels and machine gun innocent people.

Nazeem, with great respect I do not believe that racism is behind the stupid mindless attacks in our community. Just look at the case of the Asian man chased in front of a car that killed him - there were Asians in the group involved in that heinous crime. rather, there is a growing culture of violence in Melbourne and the Police hierarchy have yet to address it because they themselves have nothing to fear, nothing to be concerned about. Similarly the politicians on both sides who have not determined to do something about this pathetic situation. As to Indians, I have written two letters to your Australian High Commissioner without response. A couple of weeks or so ago we saw a large citizenship ceremony in my municipality and 3/4 were Indian. They know that we have no objection to anyone accepting to live in peace and harmony with everyone else. I am also a weight lifting referee. A few weeks back I refereed a competition with some Indian athletes, who were as well received as ANY other. And as a Civil Marriage Celebrant it has been my honour and my pleasure to marry some beautiful Indian couples. Racism does exist but that racism does not target Indians per se and it is not in every area, not in every community..

JayB,
Can you provide any evidence to the ethnicity of the attackers that you referred to.

A police report, a victms statement or a link to a newspaper article.

The whole world seems silent on this matter.

I find it fascinating that most commenters thus far completely avoid the central truth of the article - i.e. that Indians are apparently being targeted in violent crimes in Australia at a rate that is disproportionate to their representation in the population.

What is irrelevant to that issue is whether they have been enticed to study dodgy courses in Australia, the ethnicity of their attackers, violence in India, or whether the Indian media have been selling a lot of newspapers by exaggerating the issue.

What *is* relevant is that the crimes are occurring, that Indians in particular are being targeted, and that Australian authorities seem far more interested in covering up that reality than in doing something about it. It's unacceptable that anybody is in danger from the simple fact that they use public transport, and even more so when a particular ethnic minority is targeted.

Australia's international image as being a safe, civilised destination has been tarnished by these crimes, and we will undoubtedly notice the effects in the future loss of export revenue from areas such as education and tourism.

Banjo. I don't have the article now but I think it was Terry Sweetman. It was some time ago.