Villagers launch counterrally

TANGERANG (JP): Some 400 villagers of Babakan Asem subdistrict staged a rally in front of the Tangerang regency yesterday, demanding the regent restore M. Buang, their village head, to his position.

The rally yesterday was to counter an earlier rally staged by other villagers demanding Buang's resignation because he had allegedly taken a one-hectare cemetery plot under his ownership, swindled funds for development of the least-developed villages and had more than one wife.

Buang was temporarily suspended soon after the protest, pending results of the investigation being conducted by Tangerang Regent Agus Djunara

"We do not agree with the accusations. We do not agree with the imposition of the punishment on our village head either," Sunarya, one of the villagers, said yesterday.

The regent was quoted by his spokeswoman Ena Karlina as saying that an investigation into the case was currently underway.

Ena urged the villagers to be patient as the regency was now handling three other similar demands for the dismissal of heads of Cukanggalih village, Endang Suparman; Bencongan village, M. Djana, and Cibogo village, Nurdin Marzuki. (41/ivy)