The relatively wealthy ethnic Chinese minority in the north of the city has been a frequent target. Many residents expect crime levels to rise, particularly if the economy worsens. This staunchly Moslem region at the northern tip of Sumatra has a long history of resistance to central rule. Human rights groups say much of the current hostility against Jakarta and the military is motivated by poverty and a sense that the central government is cashing in on Aceh's rich natural resources. There have been several clashes between farmers and security forces supporting plantation companies.
Farmers say the plantation companies took their land by force.
The provincial capital Medan has seen rising unrest among the poor and unemployed. Protests, sometimes violent, by workers are common. There have been several outbursts of violence in Lampung, the southernmost part of Sumatra, usually between locals and people from Java brought in under the government's transmigration programme. The main base of the Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia's largest Moslem organisation, which was the target of a rash of bizarre murders in late 1998. The provincial capital Surabaya has been a hotbed of worker demonstrations in recent weeks.