In the first light of dawn, the sleepy Siak River town of Pakanbaru was wakened by the tumultuous honking and crying of thousands of disturbed jungle birds. Swarms of Sumatran fireflies, which travel in whirling galaxies resembling slowly moving fireballs, abruptly vanished. Then came the snarl of planes as a flight of old, U.S. -made F-51s swept in to strafe the shacks and hangars of Simpang Tiga airstrip, six miles southwest of town. After them came 16 lumbering transport planes; as they passed overhead, the sun-streaked sky blossomed with silken parachutes that...
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