Chinese-Indonesians asked to produce citizenship papers

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Chinese-Indonesians in Tangerang, Banten say local authorities are rejecting their birth certificate applications on the basis of their failure to produce an Indonesian citizenship certificate (SBKRI), which was abolished by the central government.

Lie Chen, a resident of Sungapan in Dadap village, Kosambi, Tangerang told The Jakarta Post recently that her mature age application for a birth certificate had been turned down because she had no SBKRI.

"They rejected my request as they said I still use a Chinese name but don't have an SBKRI," said the 17 year old Lie.

Soeharto scrapped the SBKRI policy in 1996 through presidential decree No. 6/1996. In 2000, then president Abdurrahman Wahid revoked a decree of the People's Consultative Assembly on the requirement for SBKRIs.

However, public servants continue to ask Chinese-Indonesians applying for legal documents, including birth certificates and passports, for their SBKRI.

"Please, don't make it difficult for us. We are applying for birth certificates as we want our citizenship status to be clear," said Lie's mother, Eny, 47, who earns a living doing laundry for her neighbors.

Lie said she was just one of dozens of Chinese-Indonesians -- known in her area as China Benteng, whose birth certificate applications were rejected recently.

Some of the applicants have filed complaints with the Indonesian Antidiscrimination Agency (LADI) in Tangerang, while others have chosen to keep quiet.

Rebecca Harsono, LADI executive chairwoman, said her office had received complaints from 45 Chinese-Indonesians living in Tangerang.

She wondered why the Tangerang administration required SBKRIs from Chinese-Indonesians applying for birth certificates, while neighboring Jakarta had long scrapped the policy.

She said there were at least 300,000 Chinese-Indonesians -- 10 percent of whom lived in Tangerang -- who had not been able to obtain birth certificates because they used Chinese names.

"(Despite the law) Chinese-Indonesians have met difficulties in applying for birth certificates, identification cards and family cards from subdistrict offices," she said.

Head of the Tangerang Statistics Agency Uha Yuhati acknowledged Chinese-Indonesians were required to show their SKBRIs but denied any discrimination against them.

"We never make it difficult for Chinese-Indonesians to obtain birth certificates at this office," Uha said.

She said the agency only asked Chinese-Indonesians to enclose an SKBRI if they could not complete the requirements when applying for a birth certificate.

"A letter of birth from a doctor or midwife, a copy of their parents' marriage certificate, ID cards and family cards are absolute requirements in applying for a birth certificate,' she said.

She said the agency also obliged mature age birth certificate applicants to enclose proof of their Indonesian citizenship, including a letter from the district court stating that they were Indonesian. Uha said careful attention was needed in issuing birth certificates.

"Once birth certificates we issued fell into the hands of a child trafficking syndicate in Pamulang district," she said.