THE violence was still fresh in the mind of Faiz Sungkar, 38. The car I rode in with others was stopped by crowds on Jalan Proklamasi. All passengers fled. But one of them was caught and beaten black and blue. Fortunately, I was safe. The throng set fire to the car, said the bachelor, who has now opened a printing office in Tanah Abang, Jakarta. Faiz was recounting the incident in Central Jakarta in mid-November 1998.

The other people Faiz mention