More disasters feared as year moves forward

More disasters feared as year moves forward

JAKARTA (JP): The year 1996 is just three months old. But in
that time the capital and its hinterland have already experienced
a horrifyingly large number of major crimes, accidents and
tragedies. Many lives have been lost and a huge amount of
material losses have been recorded.

It seems that predictions by local psychics and soothsayers
that 1996 would be worse than 1995 might well prove to be
correct.

Late last year, four top local psychics -- Ki Ageng Selo,
Anton Rudolf Nico, Ki Gendeng Pamungkas and Permadi -- predicted
that this year would be worse than 1995.

"More serious tragedies and accidents affecting more victims
will take place in the next few months," Permadi told The Jakarta
Post on Saturday.

"These kinds of distressing events will happen until the year
1997," he said.

In Jakarta and surrounding areas, a series of floods, fires,
traffic accidents, robberies and rapes have happened with dozens
of people affected.

Selo previously predicted that there would be more road
accidents this year while the number of floods and fires would
increase by 50 percent.

Anton prophesied that a huge dam in West Java would break and
the water will flood Jakarta and its vicinity.

Pamungkas, a self-declared black magician, predicted that the
number of crimes will double this year compared to last year.

Psychics

What has happened in Indonesia, as far as calamities and
tragedies are concerned, in the first three months, has proved
beyond any doubt that the psychics, so far, have got it right.

Massive floods struck the capital in January and February
killing at least 30 people and causing total material losses of
about Rp 90 billion (US$39 million). The floods, said to be the
worst to hit the capital since 1976, have also damaged hundreds
of houses.

Fires in and around the city have claimed dozens of lives,
causing billions of rupiah in losses and leaving hundreds of
families homeless.

Traffic accidents also reached a new level when victims were
burned to death inside buses. So far there have been two serious
cases of bus passengers being burned to death, affecting no less
than 36 casualties, while dozens of others were seriously
injured.

The first accident occurred on the Merak-Jakarta highway in
the early hours of March 5 when a bus heading from Merak to
Jakarta turned over and exploded, killing six passengers,
including a child, and injured 37 others.

The second happened on the Jagorawi toll road when a
Kramatdjati Jakarta-Bandung bus hit a jeep and burst into flames,
killing 31 people, including 28 passengers.

In terms of robbery-rape cases, a new trend in Bekasi has
emerged with a spate of such crimes in recent weeks.

It only remains to be seen what the rest of the year will
bring. Watch this space if your crystal ball is not up to
scratch! (bsr)