When he welcomed Tempo at his office three weeks ago, Dwi Sucipto was smiling. "I'm reminded of Padang," he said. Nine years ago, Dwi was also visited by Tempo but in a very different situation. At the time, his office was not in a factory complex nor a grand building, but a hotel room.

Dwi had just then been appointed CEO of Semen Padang, a company plagued by conflict. There were demands that it separate itself from its principal entity, Semen Gresi