IN the middle of the Kelai River with its brownish stream, a motorboat was cruising slowly downstream, Behind, the capital of Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, was fast receding in the distance. The boat zigzagged now and again to dodge sand diggers' wooden huts along the riverside. A wild eagle was gliding overhead with its watchful eyes as if escorting the boat as far as the Sulawesi Sea.

Derawan is a group of small islands located in this se