YAP Thiam Hien was his name from crib to crypt. When the government forced Indonesian-born ethnic Chinese or Tionghoa to change their names, he refused. As he loudly maintained, the objectives of assimilation would not be reached if it was carried out forcibly.

Identity cannot be erased. Eliminating it is a breach of human rights. If the country wanted to remove the barriers of difference, What is needed is a cleansing of hearts," said Yap, who was