India’s advice of media restraint over attacks on Indians very pleasing: Oz acting FM

MELBOURNE - Australian Acting Foreign Minister Simon Crean has said that the advice issued by the Indian Government urging its media to show restraint when reporting alleged violence against the Indian community in Australia is very pleasing.

Crean has admitted that the Government was going through a difficult time in its relationship with India due to the attacks.

“I am very pleased that overnight the Indian Government has issued what I believe is a very constructive and responsible advice and that is not to overreact to it, to understand that investigations are being undertaken,” The Age quoted Crean, as saying.

“We need to get all of the facts first and we shouldn’t overreact until all of the facts are in,” he added.

Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash had earlier called on the media to report such sensitive issues responsibly, saying it could aggravate the situation and affect bilateral relations with Australia.

The comment came after a 29-year-old Indian man, Jaspreet Singh, was admitted to Melbourne’s Alfred hospital in a serious condition after four men allegedly attacked and set him on fire on Saturday night.

According to the police, Singh was taken to hospital with 15 per cent burns to his arms, chest and face after the attack shortly before 2am in Essendon.

Crean further reiterated that there was no evidence to suggest that the recent attacks were racist.

“I think it is important in terms of the two most recent events that it is not only the Victorian police saying that there is no evidence in either case that the murder and then the subsequent attack were racially based,” Crean said.

“I think it is also important in terms of the most recent incident, that a relative of Mr Singh … also doesn’t believe that it was racially based,” he added. (ANI)