Indonesians getting suspicious about their bad luck, turning to the supernatural for explanations.

Well, to be perfectly honest, I don't blame them. This has been a really bad couple of years to be in Indonesia.

"Over the past two years, Indonesia has suffered an encyclopedia of troubles, from the devastating tsunami of December 2004 to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, bird flu outbreaks, landslides, airline crashes and a vast, bizarre geyser of mud — a constant pounding of catastrophes that has worn down the national psyche and convinced many that something supernatural is going on." LINK

Interestingly, some have decided that it is the president who is cursed.
"“Since the day he took office there have been unending disasters,” said Permadi, a member of Parliament and a mystic, of the president. Like many Indonesians, he uses only one name. Mr. Yudhoyono was born under a bad sign, he said, and nature is demonstrating its anger at him and the nation."

Well, a cursed president might be easier to deal with than the epic, mega-sized infrastructure issues that they have.

"As the economy grows about 6 percent a year, with a proliferation of homes, offices and shopping centers, almost no new roads, bridges, airports, power lines or water systems have been built since the Asian economic crisis a decade ago. More malls, more squatter communities, more hillside villas: all contribute to breakdowns in urban services and to disasters like the flood."


Also, the floods? Have left people dying in their wake. The receding floodwaters have left thousands suffering with diarrhea, dengue fever, and severe respiratory problems. LINK

related posts
Jakarta situation gets even worse- 480,000 refugees
Jakarta under water
Choke a volcano? Are you sure?
Time for another look at disaster central, Indonesia
Goodish news about those displaced Indonesians