Opening Old Wounds

On Tuesday night three weeks ago, the normally empty field in Kedungbanteng village was packed with some 200 villagers. M. Fauzi, head of a local neighborhood organization in the town of Sidoarjo in East Java, said the crowd had gathered around 12 tumpeng (rice cone served with various dishes) to give thanks.

The community was celebrating the departure of the Lapindo Brantas drilling team, which hopes to add two new wells to its Tanggulangin site. "But the government has listened to our wishes," Fauzi said.

February 2, 2016