saw the benefits of taking the offer of naturalization, some thought
otherwise. However, the Kuomintang
and the Communists had taken the
position of going against this new law,
and pressing all Chinese to
comply through their agents and client organizations. It was quite
obvious that for some Chinese locals, their pressure and offensive moves
had gone too far, to the point of more rule than protection.
Pressures by client
organizations
of Ching and its agents, in
response to the Dutch-proposed naturalization of Chinese
residents in
Indonesia in 1909, were even more explosive and imposing. In order to
counter the Dutch attempt, 10 points of action were initiated by Ching's
client organizations throughout
70
Indonesia.' Point #7 provided that
those who refused the pledge of not taking the offer of naturalization,
would be condemned and disowned by friends, relatives, family members
and even business partners. In point
investigation to confirm the nationality
#2,
it was suggested that an
of local Chinese should be
launched. This move was a threat to those who were even thinking of the
benefits of Dutch naturalization,
as well as those who were native born
in Dutch India. Especially since the Chinese community is so dependent
upon the tradition of an extended family, the pressure would simply be
too great to resist. The 10 point declaration definitely offended the
jurisdiction
residents.
of rule of the Dutch colonial authorities over its Chinese
Both the British and the Dutch experiences disclose that China's
position on denaturalization is quite persistent, even though time and
regimes have changed. An editorial from one of the largest Chinese
newspapers in the region had made this comment, when it referred to the
events of 1948:
71
"Firstly, to maintain dual-citizenship is in the best interest for
Chinese abroad. But instead of securing this agreement with foreign
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