- published: 21 Mar 2016
- views: 2086
Palu is a chartered city (kota) on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, located 1,650 km northeast of Jakarta, at 0°54′S 119°50′E / 0.9°S 119.833°E / -0.9; 119.833Coordinates: 0°54′S 119°50′E / 0.9°S 119.833°E / -0.9; 119.833. It is the capital of the province of Central Sulawesi. The city sits on the mouth of Palu River, at the head of a long, narrow bay. Because of its sheltered position between mountain ridges, the climate is unusually dry. Palu has a population of 335,297, not including those living in nearby regencies.
The town was ruled by the colonial Dutch until Indonesia reached its independence following World War II. The residence of the Dutch controleur still exists as a testament of that era.
On 24 January 2005 at 04:10 (UTC+8), an earthquake with magnitude 6.2 Richter scale occurred in the city. According to the local meteorological office, the hypocenter of the earthquake was around 1.249° S, 119.922° E, some 16 km southeast of Palu at the depth of 30 km of Bora Village's hot spring, Biromaru sub-district, Donggala Regency. Panic ensued as most people sought refuge in the highlands for fear of a repeat disaster like the tsunami as occurred in Aceh. The earthquake killed one person, injured four others, and destroyed 177 buildings.
In the wintercold I see the blood
clotting slowly in the snow
Unsung heroes cry in the night
may they die before dawn
Broken banners mourn fallen crowns
grieving swords lay all around
As the swansong touches the mountainside
unseeing eyes look at you
Can't you hear it
hear the sorrows vail
Oh, can't you see it
the newborn day
Impaled hearts welcome the end of pain
black blood releasing warrior souls
Vultures circle 'round the fields of grief
another graveyard, another tale
Can't you hear it
hear the sorrows vail
Oh, can't you see it
the newborn day