Don't be superstitious about quakes: Susilo

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono revealed on Tuesday that he had been told to slaughter 1,000 sheep and to do other rituals to prevent further earthquakes.

He told some 200 members of the Family Welfare Movement (PKK) not to be superstitious about earthquakes, asserting that there was a scientific explanation for such natural disasters.

"There is a scientific explanation for the series of earthquakes; don't be superstitious ... There was an sms (short message system) sent to me, saying Mr. President please slaughter 1,000 sheep," Susilo said, referring to the telephone text messages.

Such a suggestion was not the only one as the President said that he had been bombarded by "a huge number" of similar wacky text messages.

"If I followed all of them, I would not have been able to visit the disaster-hit areas to give instructions to respond to the emergency situation. That is why I did not follow those suggestions," the President said.

Susilo said that he and his family had been praying to ask for protection from God for their family and the nation.

The President has held a series of prayer meetings at his private residence in Cikeas (Cibubur, West Java) and at Merdeka Palace.

During his official address to commence the 6th PKK national meeting, the President explained to the women members that earthquakes were a natural phenomenon.

He acknowledged that he had discussed the matter with the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) and an earthquake expert during his recent visit to New Zealand.

A string of natural disasters and accidents have plagued the country over the past six months, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.

These include last year's tsunami in Aceh and Nias, the latest earthquakes in Nias, Simeulue and Padang, and the fatal crash of an Australian military helicopter during a relief mission in Nias. -- Muninggar Sri Saraswati