Monday, April 25, 2011

INDONESIA - The Merapi volcano has a new guardian

The new "gatekeeper" of the Merapi volcano "has just been appointed by the Sultan of Yogyakarta after a long selection, reports the Kompas daily. The winner is the youngest son of Mbah Maridjan, the former guard who died in the eruption of October 2010 when he refused to leave, resulting in his death more than thirty villagers who remained faithful and confident his side.

This time, the appointment took a turn less mystical and more scientific. The new keeper of the volcano, unlike his father, not a peasant but an administrative employee of an Islamic university. He pledged to cooperate with local authorities and the center of Volcanology and Geological Disaster Prevention.

"The challenges of our times are different and the thinking of the son of Mbah Maridjan too. So I hope that when we asked villagers to evacuate, they obey," said Sultan.

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