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Murder Sparks Fresh Unrest in Ambon
December 15, 2011

Five months after a deadly riot erupted in Ambon, Maluku, tensions still run high among residents as officials have failed to address the root case of the problems, a report released by the International Crisis Group said on Tuesday. (Antara Photo/Jimmy Ayal) Five months after a deadly riot erupted in Ambon, Maluku, tensions still run high among residents as officials have failed to address the root case of the problems, a report released by the International Crisis Group said on Tuesday. (Antara Photo/Jimmy Ayal)
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Ambon. Thousands of people in Ambon, Maluku, locked themselves indoors on Thursday as the death of a public minivan driver sparked fresh unrest in the city.

Maluku Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Johanis Huwae said that Rivaldo Petta, an angkot driver from the Kudamati neighborhood, was stabbed to death as he was driving on Jalan Toko Buku Simpang at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The perpetrator has not been identified.

“Doctors tried to save the victim’s life, but eventually he died from severe blood loss, he had a severe injury,” M. Haulussy Hospital spokeswoman Ita Sabrina said on Thursday.

Rivaldo’s death sparked fresh violence in the city, still traumatized by deadly sectarian clashes in September that followed the mysterious death of Muslim motorcycle taxi driver Darmin Saiman in the Christian neighborhood of Gunung Nona. Seven people were killed in the riots and thousands more displaced.

On Thursday, thousands of people pelted rocks and set fire to several vehicles on Jalan Rijali, near the town’s Regional Representatives Council office.

The windows in at least two private cars and several public minivans were smashed by rocks and wooden poles.

A joint team from the police and military failed to contain the protesters, who demanded an investigation into Rivaldo’s death.

Many workers in Ambon did not show up for work on Thursday morning, fearing violence.

Several buses and angkots also refused to enter the town, dropping passengers no closer than Tantui, about one kilometer north of the city.

Buses from the south refused to go further than the Air Putri area, three kilometers from the city center.

Maluku Police chief Brig. Gen. Syarief Gunawan urged Ambon residents to stay calm. “I am begging the people of Ambon, don’t mar this Christmas celebration with things that can damage yourself or your family,” he said.

Syarief said that police were making the case a priority to appease residents’ anger and stop further speculation and unsubstantiated rumors surrounding Rivaldo’s death.

“We are asking for people’s participation in providing accurate information so that the [investigation] process will yield the best result,” he said.

Ambon Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Soeharwiyono said he would increase security in the city and ensure that the perpetrator is brought to justice.

“I am willing to put my position on the line for the stability and security of Ambon,” he said.

The protesters also demanded that the government change bus routes in the city in the wake of the incident.

Christian and Muslim neighborhoods in Ambon are heavily segregated, fueling tensions and suspicions between the groups.

On Monday, dozens of people were injured and several homes badly damaged.

The incident stemmed from long-running animosity between residents of two neighborhoods separated by the Batu Gajah River.

The conflict boiled over at around 11 p.m. on Monday when the residents began trading insults and throwing fireworks at each other across the river.

Ambon was the scene of a bloody sectarian conflict between 1999 to 2002 that left thousands dead.

Antara