Indonesian tsunami detector 'was severed': official

[ben_meyers]

A crucial part of a tsunami detection system placed in Indonesia's busy Sunda Strait has gone missing amid indications that it was deliberately removed, an Indonesian official said Thursday.

The device is one of just four installed off Indonesia so far as part of a regional alert system designed to help predict the kind of killer waves that swept the Indian Ocean in December 2004.

It last transmitted data on December 30, 2007, Ridwan Djamaluddin, head of Indonesia's marine technology research centre, told AFP.

Djamaluddin said he believed the unit was deliberately pulled out from its place, but did not say who would have done it.

Odd that along with communication cables being cut someone cut this loose.

http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1218801

[aquart]

1. Or....there is a sea floor disturbance we never saw before?

Because it's odd that this is included in the sea things that have gone dead.

[NutmegYankee]

2. Metal theft is rampant in that region. n/t

[DBoon]

3. has anyone seen it offered on eBay?

nt

[angrycarpenter]

4. Once is unfortunate

Twice is coincidence.
After that there has to be something up.
What if they are cutting the muslim world off of the net. Maybe they were after another communication line and cut the wrong one? This bears close watching.

[lvx35]

5. That's a terrifying scenario

cutting the muslim world off the net, total media blackout and *something* happening in the Middle East.