Pieces of that plane that went missing on January 1 are finally being found in the sea 150 miles south of where the plane was last seen on radar: seatbelts, flashlight, tray tables, seat covers, tail fin, pieces of fiberglass but still no sign of bodies, clothes, or luggage. The first pieces were found 11 days after the disapppearance. They are still looking for the main body of the plane and especially the black box. (Word just in that the signals from the black box have been detected.) There are aircraft and ships from at least 3 other countries which have also joined in the search. It is now assumed that the plane either broke up in the air or upon impact into the sea from a catastrophic loss of power/control at high altitude. It is assumed that there are no survivors, but they are still hoping to find the main body of the plane.
They are also still looking for the ferry that sank a couple of days after the plane disappeared leaving 350+ people still unaccounted for. But the water is murky from bad weather and there is apparently so much metal down there from other sunken ships and WW2 mines that they can’t be sure where it is. It would be VERY interesting if the sea ever gave up all of its secrets.....
Regarding the preacher that was shot last October, the school girls that were beheaded, the bombings, shootings, etc of the last 3 years... recently the authorities have announced that they have pinpointed the troublemakers. It has been narrowed down to two villages composed mainly of people from another island who relocated there a few years ago. Those folk apparently want to set up their own version of heaven on earth and it doesn’t include the native population – especially those of another religious persuasion. Since negotiations and appeals have apparently failed, the police decided to go in and arrest people. When the police went in to make arrests, the residents responded by throwing bombs and shooting at the police. Generally not a wise idea. Naturally the police persisted and arrested some 25 people at the cost of 1 dead police officer and 13 civilians, plus others wounded. They found a large number of guns, including automatic weapons, ammunition and plenty of explosives. They are currently reported to be searching the jungles for others who escaped. The weapons are said to be from a neighboring country since it is illegal for civilians of this country to own firearms.
The interesting thing is that some religious leaders are advising the government not to be heavy handed, because it would not solve the problem but might cause new wounds in the people especially as innocent bystanders are killed or injured. After all, violence will only lead to more violence. Of course in this case, non-violence has also led to more violence. So if violence leads to violence and non-violence also leads to violence, then what? I suppose they could just allow this little group to continue to be violent and hope that maybe eventually they will get it out of their system and settle down. Gets a little mind boggling.
Today's news reports that after questioning many of the arrestees it turns out that the innocent civilians killed in the conflict may not have been so innocent after all. Most if not all had participated in recent shootings, bombings, beheadings, assembled explosives, etc. Nevertheless a well-known elderly cleric recently released from jail for his involvement in a tourist island bombing a few years ago, apparently feels that folk of his religion who kill folk of other religions for any reason at allare not criminals and should not be treated as such. In fact he cursed the police action and said that it only aided the cause of the infidels and threatened that he might have to organize a holy war. (Mind you, he is a bit of a windbag but he does have a few followers.) Sigh! Thus violence begets violence and the cycle of revenge goes on unbroken.
What better illustration of the need for regeneration?
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