37,000 Chinese want citizenship

SURABAYA, East Java: About 37,000 people of Chinese descent want to obtain Indonesian citizenship, but only 15,000 have registered their applications and only 3,393 people have completed administrative procedures.

Governor Basofi Sudirman said the Ministry of Justice was overwhelmed by the application forms piling up at the district court in charge of processing them.

He said that many of the applicants found it difficult to understand the Indonesian perception of nation. They were also required to speak fluent Bahasa Indonesia, he said.

Since citizenship is rewarded by the President, he explained, there needed to be "clear" evidence of loyalty to the country.

According to the Head of the local social and political office, the cost for naturalization is between Rp 332,500 (US$153) to Rp 1 million ($462), depending on the applicant's economic capability. (pwn)