Dear reader,
On April 27, Indonesia suffered one of its deadliest rail disasters, which killed 15 people.
All are women.
It happened shortly before 9pm, when workers were still rushing home. A long-distance train had slammed into the back of a commuter train waiting at the East Bekasi station, on the outskirts of Jakarta. The last carriage of that train was a women-only compartment.
Our Indonesia correspondent Karina Tehusijarana knows it well, as someone who used to squeeze into such carriages to get home everyday. As she made the 90-minute journey to the accident site from the city centre, images of what she’d seen on television kept running through her mind.
“I didn't really sleep well that night and I kept waking up to check the news. The death toll kept climbing and by morning it was at seven.”
What was meant to protect women – a carriage just for them, to avoid sexual harassment – became a death trap of twisted metal.
At the hospital, Karina spoke to family members of victims.
“They all seemed eager to share their experiences. It was like they were working through it by telling me and the other reporters at the hospital. Each of their stories moved me in different ways.”
One man had gone to the train station to look for his missing granddaughter, but only found her bloodstained backpack at a command post.
“When he told me his story, I had a sinking feeling that the young woman was likely among the fatalities. It was already 15 hours after the accident. If she had not yet been identified by any of the hospitals, she must either be unconscious - meaning she was probably badly wounded - or she had already died.”
That evening, when the police announced the names of previously unidentified victims, the young woman was among them.
The disaster came as Indonesia is readying to embark on an ambitious infrastructure project to extend the China-backed high-speed rail line, Whoosh, which now runs from Jakarta to Bandung, further to Surabaya.
This would cut one of Indonesia’s longest overland journeys from 10 hours to around three hours.
But as Indonesia bureau chief Arlina Arshad notes, the April 27 incident is giving pause, with many in Indonesia calling for the government to prioritise fixing the existing system’s weak points instead, including level crossings which have been singled out as a possible cause of the accident.
What has been your experience with Indonesia’s trains? Email me with your thoughts.
I leave you with a selection of our correspondents’ articles and podcasts.
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While alarm bells are ringing in Europe over a physical shortage, analysts say Asia has a different trajectory.
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Negeri Sembilan crisis signals end is nigh for Anwar’s unity govt
The PM may now be forced to bring forward the general election, when it is due only by early 2028.
A top superbike reignites debate over Chinese innovation
Free-to-air events, swanky stadium: What HK’s sports push is really about
India’s affluent parents send kids to international schools
A growing number of affluent parents are shifting children from schools that have an exam-based focus.
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