Robert Go, Jakarta – Surabaya businessman Lukman Hartono knows he is a marked man in the eyes of predatory immigration officials in Indonesia.

As an ethnic Chinese, it is: Pay up and get paperwork "expedited". Refuse to pay, and face probing questions and hassle.

"I travel frequently to other Asian countries for business. I often get this treatment when I come home. They see me, and they take me to a side room," he said.

"I know what they want, and they know I know. I just smile and take out my wallet. They stamp my passport and let me go."

Indonesia's ethnic Chinese complain of discrimination in their own country even four years after the fall of former president Suharto and the beginning of the reform era.

For example, processing citizenship papers – such as in the case of badminton star Hendrawan, who saved his country's Thomas Cup bid last weekend – or other basic documents could prove to be an arduous process which takes years to complete.

Government universities, it is said, reject ethnic Chinese students, who can be spotted easily by information on applications: Their names, special characters on their identification cards, their religious affiliations, and so on.

But some prominent figures within the minority group also say that while racism exists and presents hurdles for the ethnic-Chinese community here, the true problem is Indonesia's rampant corruption.

And the ethnic Chinese, these observers argued, make themselves easy targets. They contribute to the problem by reaching for their wallets too quickly when facing potential trouble.

Mr Enggartiasto Lukito, a politician from the Golkar party who is also one of the few ethnic-Chinese members of Parliament, told The Straits Times that corruption, not racism, sits at the root of many situations that can be construed as discriminatory.

Indonesia's government has taken some key strides in recent years to improve the situation for the ethnic Chinese.

In 1999, former president B. J. Habibie banned discrimination based on a citizen's place of origin. President Megawati Sukarnoputri has also declared next year's Chinese New Year as a national holiday.

Mr Enggartiasto said: "We see discrimination, but it is not as pervasive as it used to be. Things have improved. But corruption does target us on a daily basis, and we contribute to that. We pay up too easily. Often, it is we who seek special treatment in exchange for bribes. That's a big problem."

Mr Frans Winarta, a prominent Jakarta lawyer who is also an ethnic Chinese, said previously that Indonesia has to revise many discriminatory provisions in the constitution and the country's legal codes. But other observers make the case that those discriminatory laws remain in the books precisely because they help bureaucrats – at all levels of government – fill their own pockets as they process the basic documents the ethnic Chinese need.

A mid-level officer in Surabaya's court system yesterday said: "Civil servants ask everyone, not just the Chinese, for bribes. It's true, however, that the Chinese can be made to pay more."