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AKARTA: Religious leaders say the government needs to avoid band-aid approaches and use persuasion to resolve the simmering conflicts between the residents of Ambon.

Abdul Mu’ti, a representative of the nation’s second-largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, said “quick-and-dirty” solutions, including the use of security personnel to restore order, offered no permanent solution.

“The root of the problem in Ambon is whether the government has the political will. So far [government] efforts have been aimed at controlling conflicts rather than resolving them thoroughly,” said Benny Susetyo of the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI).

After a Muslim motorcycle taxi driver died in a traffic accident on Sunday, false claims were spread that he had been tortured and killed by Christians. The rumors spread via text message and led to riots that claimed the lives of seven, injured 65 and damaged or burned down at least 200 buildings.

Police said that an autopsy confirmed that the driver died in the accident and that irresponsible people had distorted the facts, provoking the response that led to the riot.