Hundreds of police officers were deployed from Makassar to Ambon to help quell a riot that erupted over the death of a man, a police spokesman said on Sunday.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam said police in Ambon were overwhelmed by the scale of the clash that left at least three dead and dozens of others injured.
More than 200 officers were sent from Makassar’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) unit, chosen because of its close proximity to the beleaguered city, the spokesman said. “The situation is now under control. There is no more violence,” he said at police headquarters in Jakarta.
Rumors that circulated in the area on Saturday claimed that a man named Darmin Saiman, a motorcycle taxi driver, had been attacked and killed.
The word of mouth prompted a violent clash between two groups, one of which is believed to include Darmin’s family, shortly after the man’s funeral took place on Sunday.
Categories: Indonesia