The clock showed 11.30am. Time was moving on, especially for a TV station that should have had all of its programming ready to roll. But there were no signs of panic in the TVRI Surabaya newsroom. Only a few employees taking it easy on the sofa.

In a different room, two others were deeply engrossed in a game of chess. Next door, through an almost impenetrable fog of cigarette smoke, five other employees were to be seen playing dominoes. Onl