Sjamsul Nursalim was once an icon in the Indonesian business world. Through his Gadjah Tunggal Group, he owned a tire factory, the world's largest shrimp farm, a financial institution and even a polytechnic. But like many other Indonesian tycoons, the holder of a master's degree in management is now facing the bitter reality after the economic meltdown.

Nursalim's group has since collapsed and its assets are now owned by the government, under the