Harassment of the Chinese

On Friday, Sept. 27, 1996 at 7:20 p.m. I returned to Medan from a trip to Singapore. Singapore was wonderful.

Problems started when I noticed my black luggage coming in on the conveyor belt into the luggage pickup area marked with a white chalk X. My luggage was one of the last to arrive on the conveyor belt, though at Singapore I was one of the first passengers to check in. When my luggage arrived, I went to the nothing-to-declare line. Immediately the Customs officer told me to go to the other line. He didn't even look at my form. I told him that I had nothing to declare but he wouldn't believe me and so I obeyed him.

I noticed in front of me there was a young, stout Chinese woman who was being harassed by the Customs officers.

I am an American of Japanese descent so I look like a Chinese. Many times I have been mistaken for a Chinese-Indonesian, so I know what the Chinese in Medan suffer.

Being an American I am accustomed to being honest and obeying the law. We don't expect and don't accept abuses of authority. We expect people to be honest and helpful.

I had a lot of medication in my suitcase from the doctors in Singapore. A young official grabbed these vitamins and poured my new vitamins into his hands. I was aghast. "Don't do that, your hands are dirty!" I told him.

When I finally reached my husband who was patiently waiting for me after everyone else had left, I told him what had happened. He went to the Customs officers to complain. As an American married to an Indonesian, I am concerned and hope to see an improvement in the situation here.

Name and address

known to the editor