THE men were carefully pouring mud into bottles with the precision of scientists. Under the blazing sun, the four were bent over at the side of kilometer 38 of the Surabaya-Gempol toll road. They were all wearing orange-colored uniforms. These are the special uniforms for working in dangerous zones such as the hot mudflow area of Sidoarjo.

Not far from these four men, the sound of a dredger could be heard. The hands of these dredging machines were