IN mid-September, when a series of large quakes shook Bengkulu and surrounding areas, many wondered: would the sea also rise up? Since late 2004, Indonesia has experienced the ever-present fear of ocean waves striking our beaches that invariably accompany earthquakes.

This is natural because these waves—which are referred to as tsunamis (from Japanese meaning harbor wave)—are indeed no ordinary waves generated by ocean winds. Such as the tsu