THE old town of Tebing Tinggi is a bit different from other towns in North Sumatra, which are usually dominated by oil palm plantations. The 114.66-square-kilometer Tebing Tinggi lies on the crossroads between Medan-Pematang Siantar and Medan Asahan, which deals with industry, trade and services. The dependence on these sectors can be seen by annual value of the local economy. In 2001, of a total Rp836.3 billion in revenues it raised, 23 percent