HE was only 24 when he first arrived on the island of Java. It was 1948 when Suhargo Gondokusumo—or Go Ka Him, to give him his original name—sailed on a boat called Cicalangga from the city of Chuan Ciu, Fujian Province, China, to start a new life in Indonesia. In a matter of 25 years, he didn't just find a new life, but also abundant riches.

Suhargo, the youngest of five children who became orphans when he was only 3 years old,