Indian Muslim Council-USA (IMC-USA), an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India's pluralist and tolerant ethos, denounces in the strongest possible terms the terror attacks in Mumbai, the financial capital of India.

IMC-USA empathizes with the families of the victims, hostages and police officers killed in the attacks and hopes for a safe release of the hostages.

Rasheed Ahmed, President of IMC-USA said: "The perpetrators of these crimes against humanity should be captured and punished to the maximum extent of the law."

IMC-USA calls on the Indian government to find ways to increase the safety and security of ordinary citizens as well as provide immediate and adequate compensation to all the victims of this carnage. Recent years have witnessed an alarming increase in the number of groups committing mindless acts of violence against innocent civilians.

IMC-USA also calls on the Indian government to setup a high level commission to investigate the increasing scourge of violence and terrorism in the country and ways to engage the civil society in effectively curbing this menace.

The Indian Muslim Council-USA is the largest advocacy organization of Indian Muslims in the United States with 10 chapters across the nation.

HYDER KHAN

Indian Muslim Council-USA

Morton Grove, The U.S.

With regard to recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, I herewith request the government to seriously step up security efforts to avoid any future terrorist attacks in Indonesia -- also because Christmas will be celebrated soon.

The recent execution of the three Bali bombers has resulted in emotional outbursts and threats by fanatic fundamentalists in this country.

A mutual effort should be made by all countries to combat terrorism. ASEAN countries are already cooperating with Australia; the European Union is excellent in tracking down suspicious individuals.

I herewith wish to express my sincere condolences to the families of those who were butchered in the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Once again I emphasize that international cooperation is urgently needed with regard to tracking down terrorists, exchanging vital information of terrorist training facilities and networks and the continuous monitoring of suspicious fundamentalists -- all this should be shared with others by countries who already have this information.

LYNNA VAN DER ZEE-OEHMKE

Bogor, West Java

The terrorist attacks on Western tourists staying in two of Mumbai's five-star hotels shows the total lack of concern for security in bureaucracy-ridden India.

This bureaucracy can be seen not only in central and state governments but also in private companies. India has experienced several such attacks in the past few years, the most daring one being the raid on the Indian Parliament about a decade ago.

Yet there are no security checks in any of the government or private offices or hotels. Everyone assumes that terrorist attacks are just individual incidents by rogues and do not bother to do anything further.

Those who attacked the Parliament are still in prison and have not been executed for fear of a backlash by certain segments of the community -- or at least that is the reason given to the public.

Here in Indonesia the Bali bomb attacks and a few incidents before that have resulted in "security" checks -- albeit in name only -- at office buildings, shopping malls and hotels. There is nothing of this sort in India -- I know because recently I was in Bangalore and New Delhi and had occasion to meet some business associates in five-star hotels.

Sometimes some form of autocracy is better than India's chaotic democracy. There is no gold medal or first prize issued by the world to the world's biggest democracy. The Indian police are subservient to the politicians, many of whom are corrupt, ex-cons or soon-to-be-cons.

I hope these terror attacks will jolt the Indian government and the people out of their slumber and force them to take precautionary measures including installing security gates and checks in residential areas, office buildings and hotels. The police should be given full authority to shoot first and ask questions later.

YASH

Jakarta

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