SUYATNO (formerly Cia Sin Liong) can now say Gong xi fa chai openly and without hesitation. The Tomang, West Jakarta, resident can also pray for his ancestors in the porch of his house, complete with incense and candles, as well as Chinese ornaments. Freedom such as this was not permitted when president Suharto was in power. Chinese New Year celebrations were outlawed.

The ethnic Chinese face discriminative treatment in everyday life, something