I have heard stories of "Indian bashing" being carried out by gangs of another "ethnic group" in which case one can hardly blame the mainstream Australian attitude.
Just another instance of the joys of multiculturalism of which there are numerous incidents but political correctness does not really allow the accurate reporting.

THESE CONTACT DETAILS MAY BE HELPFUL

The author asks:

"Did Kevin Rudd's office or the foreign office know about these acts? If yes, did they inform their Indian counterparts about these acts?"

Things like this don't happen in a communication vacuum.

The Victorian Police would be required to brief:

- the Victorian and NSW Premier's Offices
- AFP
- ASIO
- various multi-cultural and education departments
- the Prime Minister's Office and his Department (PM&C)
- Immigration
- as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)(Australia doesn't call it the "foreign office").

The Indian High Commission in Canberra as well the Indian Consulates General in Melbourne and Sydney would be briefed by the Australia Federal and State governments at many levels and make their own enquiries.

On the Indian High Commissions website http://www.hcindia-au.org/GFIS.html is the following advice (in part):

"LIVING SAFELY IN AUSTRALIA

• Try not to travel alone late at night. If you are travelling alone, make sure that you have checked out your route carefully and try and keep to well-lit, populated areas as far as possible.

• Make sure that someone knows where you are going and at what time you are expected to return.

• Don’t carry more cash with you than what is required.

• When you are traveling alone or late at night, it is advised do not make it obvious that you are in possession of expensive items, such as mobile phones, ipods or laptops.

• Always carry with you some identification as well as details of who should be contacted in an emergency.

• If in danger, dial 000 to get police help. Check out the other hotline numbers in the “Resource Section” below.

• In case you have a complaint, get in touch with the officer responsible for students welfare in the High Commission or the Consulate nearest to you, at the contact details given in “Resources” section.

• If you have a genuine problem, do not hesitate to approach the police or other authorities; making a complaint will not affect your visa status..."

Pete
[more to follow]

[PART 2]

Contact details of the Indian High Commission and Indian Consulates in Australia http://www.hcindia-au.org/GFIS.html :

High Commission of India
3-5, Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600
Website :www.hcindia-au.org
Tel: 02- 6225 4929
E-mail: ssec@hcindia-au.org
Contact person: Second Secretary(E&C)

Consulate General of India, Melbourne
15, Munro Street, Coburg, VIC 3058
Tel: 03-9384 0141
E-mail: cgo@cgimelb.org
Contact person: Consul (Consular)

Consulate General of India, Sydney
25, Bligh Street, Level 27, Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel: 02-9223 9239
E-mail: indianc@indianconsulatesydney.org
Contact person: Consul (Consular)

Pete
(not in Australian or Indian Government employ)
http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/search/label/students%20Melbourne

Sorry but the more multiculturalism you have the more violence. Many bring the anger and hate with them. Added to this the no smacking spoilt brat brigade has led to dramatic increases in violence. Indigenous gangs see it their right in many regional centres to attack the invaders. Until these issues are addressed things will continue to get worse. We can thank our liberal thinkers for this mess.

Runner,
you're spot-on. If only there was a way to get the (mainly) academic do-gooders who wormed their way into politics to see.

What came first, the assualts or the media reports?

Clearly the assualts but are they higher now than before the media started reporting them? We don't know.

Are other people from non-Australian descent involved in these crimes? Maybe, but so what?

Are these race crimes or opportunistic crimes? Probably both.

Are Australians racist? Some. How many? Beats me. Are Indians racist. Some. How many? Beats me.

Do the Federation of Indian Students (FISA) feel aggrieved because they're not getting any publicity? Sure are.

Firstly Individual you are off to a bad start if you’re agreeing with Runner. Runner is somewhat of a bell weather for the rest of us. Once you know what Runner thinks, you know whats not the problem.

The first question I would like the author to answer is... Has he stopped bashing his wife yet?

Now I don't want an answer what I'm doing is commenting on his tone. The fact is with an assult rate of 627 per 100K around 3,000 international students will be victums of such attacks. That’s the cold hard reality of it; we need to reduce all assaults.

I wonder what the assult rates are in India?

There are a number of lunatic fringe racists who will happily bash foreign looking people for the hell of it. The fact that they're Indian is largely irrelevant. This is because the lunatic fringe racist has a rather indiscriminate approach to meting out racist violence; indiscriminate in the sense that they tend not to bother asking their victims exactly where they're from or how long they've lived in Australia beforehand.

Whilst I appreciate you taking the time to write something, I'm at a loss as to why you seem to think the 'foreign office' has some obligation to notify their Indian counterparts (presumably the Indian Government) that four, second generation Australians, were assaulted.

Hmmmm,
I have often wondered;
if you object to a do-gooder, does that mean you are a do-badder?

When people complaine about someone having a 'bleeding heart', do they realise that a heart that cannot bleed is dead?

Cheryl 'Are Indians racist. Some. How many? Beats me'

This is not quite right. In Australia we have some inequality but basically we are a meritocracy. India, by contrast, is not. They have a medieval caste system where lower casts are seen as sub-human. They are restricted in every aspect of their lives. This is institutional racism not seen in the West since the dismantling of segregation in the US and is true 'racism to the core'

It's a bit much for these wealthy Indians who can afford to study overseas to then accuse us of racism. What this really is, as hinted by the author's 'the world's landscape has changed' statement, is that Indians now feel they are a superpower and wish to be treated as such. Pity those millions upon millions of poor Indians paying for these wealthy few to study overseas, get an international qualification and suffer the 'racism to the core' in australia.

Actually Dane, the Indians are a superpower. Get used to it.

Which India are you talking about? There are millions of India's. Are you talking about the radical Hindu elements who go around destroying Muslim mosques or are you just having a go at the old caste system?

There's no doubt there are social problems in India. I don't reckon the majority of Indian students studying here give a fat rats about allegations of assault. Damned right they shouldn't happen.

I mean, why do bad things happen to good people? Answer that one Dane. That's what we've got a good case of here.

Rohit,
I tell you what, you can help us. As you said the Vic police will not disclose who the student attackers are (probably under direction from the Vic government, not to) and I reckon you are in a perfect position to know who the attackers are, so tell us. If you do not know then your readers do. Are they anglo aussies or other ethnic gangs?

The media, in Sydney disclosed that the attackers there were Lebs looking for easy targets to rob for laptops and Ipods, etc. There are strong rumours that the attackers in Melbourne are African refugee immigrants. Is that correct?

I, for one, want to know because it seems that anglo aussies, although far from being angels, are being unfairly called racist thugs.

Are the students being attacked because they are Indian or simply because they are seen to be easy targets.

I am disgusted by our governments because, by ommission, they are willing to let our anglo aussie youth take the blame for the attacks. The problem cannot be dealt with untill all the facts are laid openly on the table.

This includes the ethnicity of the attackers.

I'm so sick'n tired of this racist crap. Face up to reality ! many people of ALL races are racist & just as many aren't, period !
The personal feelings & peoples' attitudes can not be regulated by mere policy. What could be done but isn't (because many bureaucratic careers would be jeopardised) is to stop treating people differently because they don't subscribe to others' mentality. On one hand there are policies to treat everyone as equal but as soon as we do that some moron screams racism or discrimination or whatever term is in vogue. Stop the pussy-footing & make people responsible for their actions & not blame some innocent bystander. Reverse this dumb trend of locking up good people but plea-bargain with the crapheads. I live in a place where you're not allowed to speak the truth full stop ! And, yes I'm in Australia. Racism flourishes here because of the law against speaking the truth and minorities are allowed & even encouraged to exploit the loopholes of democracy caused by incompetent Public servants. Just today I was told I am responsible for the action of an indigenous bloke who works in my organisation on the good ship ANNA with Capt. Bligh at the helm and yet I'm not allowed to say that he is totally unqualified. Now that is racist but when I & an indigenous bloke said the same about a white bloke it wasn't.

This article does not tell the full story.

Governments have done much in communicating to the Indian Government and other Indian groups about what they are doing about reported attacks on Indian students. What is it exactly that the government can do, that they have not already done, to stem the increase in violence on Melbourne's streets? It is not a racist problem but a social problem. This is a game of politics to appease potential Indian students who might reconsider Australia as a destination. Chinese students have been attacked in the past, with less media attention and reporting.

Let's be honest here. The reason attackes on Indian students have increased is because violence has increased, particularly in Melbourne.

The little that has trickled out from police reports reveal that many of the attackers are youth from disaffected ethnic groups.

One of the problems is foreign students are not as aware of how to move around and travel safely within Australia, particularly not exposing signs of wealth on trains late at night - iPods, mobiles, laptops etc.

Violence in Melbourne (and Sydney) has increased over time, and victims come from a variety of ethnic groups. Many of these attacks occurred outside hotels, in parks and railway stations late at night.

We all have the right to be safe but we need to ask who are responsible for these attacks and why - and when we know we need to ask what can we do as a community to combat the increase of violence on out streets?

The solution would have to lie with a mix of:

- increased law enforcement presence and providing information to foreign students on safe behaviours while in Australia.

- much of the violence is being conducted by marginalised and disaffected ethnic youth (based on reports) and we need to look at WHY and HOW we can embrace these youth to ensure they become fully responsible and participating adults in their communities.

- harsher sentences for those who break the law. Zero tolerance for criminal behaviours that involve assault.

One tiny step in the right direction would be to allow the law-abiding to have some means of defence.
As things stand now it is an offence to carry a stick for the purpose of protecting oneself against savage dogs.
No person in Australia is allowed to have anything for defence.

Is it also acceptable for Indian Dr's to dress up and poke racist fun at black people?