An expanse of hilly oil palm plantations stretches as far as the eye can see. On the afternoon of April 18, not a soul could be spotted crossing the road that cuts through the Muara Batang Gadis plantations at Mandailing Natal, or Madina for short, in North Sumatra. Only the occasional truck carrying palm kernels plied back and forth over the still unpaved road, the sound of their thunderous engines filling the air.

Guards standing watch forbade a