Sloppy police work contributed to Ambon riot: Kontras

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says unrest that broke out in Ambon on Sunday was a result of poor police work following the death of a motorcycle taxi driver, Darkin Saimen.

"The police should have conducted an investigation into the death of the motorcycle taxi driver instead of just making assumptions," Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said Sunday as reported by tribunnews.com.

He added that police should have noticed the unrest well up in the community after rumors spread on the death.

"The police were not present when the riot broke out. The public was restless for hours and the police were not present," he said.

A riot broke out in Ambon following the death of Darkin, who was killed in an accident. However, rumors spread that Darkin had been killed by a group of men in the vicinity of the accident. These rumors then sparked a clash between groups of residents.