COMMENT | I saw a man in black on the ground with his eyes closed, kneeling. He had on a red headband. Another man, with heavy moustache and a similar head-covering, was standing behind him.

He was holding a parang, the traditional machete used to cut bamboo. It looked sharp. Very sharp. Shining sharp.

"Look at this thick plank of wood," his voice thundered. "Look closely."

The man with the parang, threw the block of wood up into the air. With one strike of the parang, he split the thick wood into two. It fell on the ground with a plonk and a clank and a plop.