In 1959, the government of Indonesia's founder, Sukarno, issued an edict banning Chinese from running shops in rural areas. More than 100,000 Chinese fled the country. Thousands more left in 1965 and 1966, when the army took power after a failed coup for which the generals blamed the Communist Party, then backed by China. But Suharto, the general who took over as Indonesia's leader, realized he needed the Chinese to rebuild the economy. He teamed up with leading Chinese businessmen to create privileged business empires that are still dominant.
Economists say four-fifths of Indonesian business groups are run by Chinese tycoons.
As for multicult, the Indonesians insist on conformity to the mainstream. No multicult grants there to pay newcomers not to assimilate. Yet, Indonesia treats them as a people apart. Even spoken Chinese is frowned upon. Since 1975, when the government closed the last Chinese schools, Chinese children have been obliged to attend Indonesian-language schools.