A Few Drinks With Mates

Ethnic youth gangs have critically injured two of their own in clashes in a Queensland playground:

A SUBURBAN park has become a battleground for warring gangs of youths, leaving locals fearing for their safety and forcing the council to impose a curfew.

In the latest incident, on Thursday night, a gang fight in the shadows of its children's playground left three men injured, two critically.

Police last night charged eight males aged between 15 and 18 with two counts each of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm with intent, assault occasioning bodily harm while armed, and armed robbery.

Locals said mobs of youths took up residence in the park on Bennett Drive at Regents Park in Logan on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. They carried samurai swords and fought into the early hours as they worked through up to seven crates of beer each evening.

One of those involved in Thursday's brawl, who only wanted to be known as Cameron, said about 40 youths of Cambodian descent had swarmed the area late on Thursday night... He claimed the raid was the result of conflicts between local Lebanese and Cambodian Australians.

Sound like they're so blase about it all, they were stopping every now and again for a reviving ale.

Locals are less calm about it:

Most of the neighbours interviewed on Friday said they feared for their safety, but had given up complaining to the council about the issue.

But their local representative, Regents Park councillor Cherie Dalley, thinks they're making too much fuss:

"It's sad people feel like they're being forced out of their homes (but) these are isolated incidents," she said. "I think it's just one of those things."

Move in next door then.

-- Nick