FOR the past few years Rasyid has been complaining of pain, recurrent headaches and fading vision. The 39-year old resident of the village of Buyat in the North Sulawesi district of South Minahasa recently also found a bump the size of a chickens egg growing at the back of his neck.

Rasyid was not the only man in Buyat who complained of the ailments. About 100 others in the same village also did. The men were suspected to have been poisoned by mer