Jakarta, Jan. 26 -- Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has allowed local communities to utilize timber logs washed away by floods in Aceh for building or repairing homes and other post-disaster recovery activities.

Karnavian said the step follows President Prabowo Subianto's instructions issued during a meeting some time ago.

"The President's policy, conveyed during a recent meeting in Hambalang, is that the timber logs can be used by the public or government for post-disaster recovery," he said at the Ministry of Home Affairs headquarters here on Monday.

As Head of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sumatra, Karnavian noted that many washed away logs were found along the border ...