REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BATAM -- The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore has said no Indonesian citizens were involved in the riot that broke out in the Little India neighborhood in Singapore on Sunday.
"We can confirm that, so far, no Indonesian citizen seems to have been involved in the clash," said the diplomat of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, Fachri Sulaiman, to Antara, here on Monday.
The embassy urged Indonesian citizens living in Singapore to adhere to the local regulations to maintain calm.
Fachri added that Indonesians in Singapore needed to be vigilant and careful while carrying out their day-to-day activities.
The Singaporean government has arrested 27 people suspected of being involved in the riots that broke out on Sunday evening in Little India, said the police in a press release received here.
The incident was triggered by a bus accident that killed one person at the intersection of Race Course road and Hampshire road.
The private bus hit an unnamed 33-year-old Indian. The driver has been hospitalized.
Police said at least five vehicles and an ambulance were damaged during the riot, which is believed to have involved up to 400 people.
Singaporean Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee pointed out that the riot was quelled within an hour after the police received reports of the riot.
The Vice Prime Minister of Singapore, Teo Chee Hean, issued a stern statement saying that the government would not tolerate violence and urged people to stay calm.
Teo added that the government would ensure that the perpetrators of the riot would be persecuted.
According to the police, no riot has taken place in Singapore for nearly four decades.