For Chinese Indonesians, the controversy has awakened painful memories of the mass protests that ousted late dictator Suharto during the 1998 Asian financial crisis.

The consequences could affect everything from the investment climate to the more-inclusive culture and democracy that emerged after dictator Suharto’s bloody downfall in 1998.

The land reclamation dates back to a stalled plan from the President Suharto era to create 17 new islets off the city’s coastline.