He says they told him to go back to where he came from. They said in this country, where he moved when he was a young boy, being gay was not OK. They looted his shop and bashed him, and on the day that he decided to flee to Australia, they walked past holding what looked like a cup of acid.

"Do it! Do it!" he heard them say. Although they never threw the acid, he says it helped him make the difficult decision to flee.

AIDS Conference delegates seeking asylum in Australia. Credit:Joe Armao

The man is one of 29 delegates who attended the 20th International Aids Conference in Melbourne last month and who stayed behind, seeking asylum in Australia, claiming they face persecution in their homelands. The Age has agreed not to name the man or his nationality due to concerns for his safety.

The openly gay man said he had established a successful retail business and married a woman who knew about his sexuality. They recently had a child together. But some people in the community were determined to make his life a misery.