If one Bali is good, why not build ten?
ON AUGUST 6th the Indonesian island of Lombok was shaken for the second time in ten days. A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the tourist haven, razing buildings, shattering roads and cutting off electricity. A government-issued tsunami warning added to the panic, sending people running for higher ground, though the ensuing wave proved small. Thousands of people have been evacuated. Crowds gathered on the beaches of the Gili Islands, off Lombok’s north-west coast, to be shipped to safety. The quake killed 347 people and injured over 1,000. A smaller tremor which hit days before claimed 17 lives. Another struck on August 9th.
Several disasters have buffeted Indonesia’s tourist spots in recent months. In late June Mount Agung on the neighbouring island of Bali began spewing ash and lava. Flights were grounded, leaving thousands of visitors stranded. Indonesia runs along the Pacific Ocean’s “ring of fire”, with 130 active volcanoes....