Village heads told to prevent violence

Village heads told to prevent violence

JAKARTA: Indonesia's home minister Hari Sabarno instructed village heads across the country on Wednesday to try to detect conflicts at village borders at an early stage.

They should also be able to help settle the problems, Hari told 200 village heads during a meeting here, ahead of the commemoration of Indonesia's Independence Day on Aug. 17.

"Village heads must be able to resolve border conflicts as soon as they break out," he said.

Village border conflicts have increased since the central government enforced the Autonomy Law in January 2000.

According to Hari, disputes between neighboring autonomous areas are often triggered by questions over the ownership of natural resources. --Antara