Villagers hold prayer for rain

YOGYAKARTA: Faced with a prolonged dry season, residents in the Gunung Kidul area of Tepus, some 60 km east of Yogyakarta, held a prayer yesterday asking for rain.

About 700 people attended the prayer meeting, which was led by the chairman of the local Indonesian Ulemas Council, H. Moh. Husein.

Several of those who attended the meeting also brought their cattle with the hope that the animals would also pray.

The Gunung Kidul area seems to always be one of the hardest hit places during long dry seasons.

The area is well-known for its poverty. About half of its 144 villages are listed as the poorest villages in the country. (swa)