There will be a complete ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol this coming weekend in the Race Course Road area where a riot broke out in Little India on Sunday night, Second Minister for Home Affairs S Iswaran told reporters on Monday evening.

The details of the ban, such as exactly what time it will apply and what geographical area it will cover, will be worked out by the police, Mr Iswaran said in response to queries.

Though it is too early to say definitively what caused the riot - which was triggered after a fatal traffic accident - it is "plausible that alcohol consumption was a contributory factor", he added. "And that is why we have taken this step in the first instance in order to stabilise the situation."

Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew, who is the MP for the ward in Moulmein-Kallang GRC, said that he has wanted curbs on the sale of alcohol in the area for some time, after seeing the proliferation of liquor licences there. "I know my residents will fully support this immediate measure," he said. He and Mr Iswaran were speaking to the media after a visit to the area, during which they spoke to shopkeepers.