Villagers near Indonesia's rumbling Mt Merapi in a quandary

Tasri (in grey veil) along with her neighbours, staying in a temporary shelter in anticipation of Mount Merapi's eruption. - PHOTO COURTESY OF NEIGEN ACHTAH SAPUTRA

JAKARTA (The Straits Times/ANN): Central Java resident Tasri still remembers vividly the rumbling, heat and flames spewing from Mount Merapi, Indonesia's most active volcano during its last major eruption in 2010, which left more than 300 people dead and 20,000 others displaced.

"I am now scared that the volcano will erupt again because we don't know how big it will be," the 65-year-old mother of two told The Straits Times from the makeshift shelter of Tlogolele village, in Boyolali regency, where some 280 residents have sought refuge since Nov 8.