Jakarta – The Indonesian Army has said it will be benevolent when dealing with future communal conflicts in the country's regions.

Army chief Gen. Djoko Santoso said Thursday the military would no longer resort to repressive measures when dealing with conflicts at the grassroots level.

"The Army will try to prevent conflicts by becoming a mediator and negotiator so that (the conflict) will subside," Djoko was quoted as saying by Detik.com newsportal.

The four-star general said the army had applied the method to past conflicts. "This time we will attempt to perfect the method."

He said the peaceful means of conflict resolution had been applied in Ambon, Maluku, where local military command heads used a cultural and moral approach to reduce tensions.