Oz Govt. says two fresh attacks on Indians 'not racially motivated'

Brisbane, Jan. 22 (ANI): The Australian Government has denied that overnight attacks on two Indian citizens in Brisbane were racially motivated.

The Herald Sun quoted Queensland acting Premier Andrew Fraser, as saying that there was no evidence the two matters were racially motivated.

"Queensland and Australia remain a very safe place. There's no doubt this has been an issue in the international arena. That's why we want to emphasise that this is a welcoming, tolerant society. No one endorses any violence against any individual," Fraser said.

On Thursday night, a 25-year-old man was assaulted and robbed while using a phone box near his home in Macgregor, in Brisbane's south. He was punched in the head twice and his wallet stolen.

Police are searching for the attacker, described as of Pacific Islander appearance.

In a separate incident, a taxi driver was attacked after an argument broke out with two men in Carindale, in Brisbane's south-east. The men punched the driver in the face several times and smashed the car's windscreen.

The driver was taken to the Princess Alexandra hospital for cuts to his face and swelling to his right eye.

A spat of racial attacks against Indian nationals, including the fatal stabbing of a Punjab-born student in Melbourne, has intensified diplomatic tensions.

The issue has prompted a strong reaction in the Indian press, with one newspaper likening Australian police to the Ku Klux Klan for their purported inability to halt the assaults. (ANI)