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Article: Indonesian Chinese eye fight for rights.(World)(Briefing/Pacific Rim)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- June 23, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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JAKARTA, Indonesia - Buoyed by overtures from Indonesia's democratic president and emboldened by the nation's new climate of freedom, ethnic Chinese here say they're ready to push for an end to years of discrimination.
"If the Chinese want the same rights as the others, we have to fight for this - just like the Aceh people or the Timorese people," said Benny Setiono, chairman of the Chinese Indonesian Association.
Residents of Aceh province have been fighting a guerrilla war against the national government, and East Timor is moving toward independence after 24 years of conflict.
But Mr. Setiono is talking about a different kind of battle ...