Suharto
(Suharto can also be spelt Soeharto.)
Country:
Indonesia.
Kill tally:
Up to two million killed following an alleged coup attempt in 1965 (most
reports estimate the number at around 500,000). Over 250,000 deaths following
the invasion of East Timor in 1975. Thousands
more killed in various Indonesian provinces.
Background:
The Indonesian archipelago is first exposed to the West in the 16th Century
when the Portuguese attempt to monopolise the lucrative spice trade and
spread Christianity. The Portuguese are supplanted by the Dutch in the
first half of the 17th Century. During the 19th Century the Dutch extend
their colonial rule across the archipelago, bringing all the land area
of modern Indonesia, with the exception of Portuguese East Timor, under
their control.
The country proclaims its independence on 17 August 1945 then fights
a war with the Dutch when they attempt to reimpose control. In December
1949 the Republic of the United States of Indonesia (RUSI) is established
with independence activist Sukarno as president. When the Indonesian Communist
Party (PKI) supposedly attempts a coup d'état in September 1965,
the army steps in. Sukarno is deposed. Major-general Suharto rises to
power, establishing a 'New Order' (Orde Baru). More
background.
Mini biography:
Born on 8 June 1921 in the village of Kemusu Argamulja in Central Java, Indonesia.
Though his family are simple peasants, Suharto receives a relatively good
education.
1940 - After working in a village bank, then
as a labourer, Suharto enlists for a three-year term in the Dutch colonial army,
the KNIL (Koninklijk Nederlandsch Indisch Leger - Royal Netherlands East Indies
Army), beginning his service in June.
1941 - Suharto is accepted for training as
a sergeant at a military school at Gombong in Central Java. A week after his
training begins the Dutch surrender to the invading Japanese.
1942 - He joins the occupation police force then,
in 1943, becomes a battalion commander in the Peta (Defenders of the Fatherland),
a Japanese-trained militia.
1945 - On 14 August Japan surrenders
unconditionally, ending the Second World War.
Suharto officially joins the Indonesian Army on the same day it is founded, 5
October. He fights against the Dutch during the war for independence, is
appointed commander of the Third Regiment, and distinguishes himself during an
attack on Yogyakarta on 1 March 1949.
Following independence, Suharto remains in the military. He serves on the island
of Sulawesi, then returns to Central Java.
1953 - In March Suharto is posted to Solo as
commander of Infantry Regiment 15.
1955 - At Indonesia's first democratic
election held on 29 September no party wins a majority of seats in the
country's single House of Parliament, although Sukarno's Indonesian Nationalist
Union (PNI) wins more votes than any other party. The resulting political
instability is heightened by the self-serving actions of military officers
in some regional areas and by the growth of an Islamic separatist movement.
1957 - In attempt to prevent the new
republic from breaking apart Sukarno proclaims martial law on 14 March
and turns to the PKI and the armed forces (ABRI) to assist with his plan
for the introduction of a 'Guided Democracy'.
At the end of the year, PKI-controlled unions lead a movement to nationalise
Dutch-owned companies. The Royal Packetship Company (which controls most of
the archipelago's shipping) and Royal Dutch Shell are seized and 46,000
Dutch nationals are expelled from the country. Officers from ABRI are given a
role in managing the nationalised firms.
Meanwhile, Suharto is promoted to regional commander in the Diponegoro Division
in Central Java, with the rank of full colonel. In this position he begins
to engage in business ventures to help fund his command, a practice that is
common throughout the Indonesian military.
1958 - Military and Muslim political
figures rebel against Sukarno in February, proclaiming the Revolutionary
Government of the Indonesian Republic. The rebellion is quashed by the
middle of the year. The United States' covert support of the rebels pushes
Sukarno closer to the
Soviet Union and the People's
Republic of China.
1959 - The success of Suharto's
extra-military business activities attracts the attention of the high command.
Suharto is implicated in sugar smuggling and other corrupt practices. He is removed
from his command and ordered to take a course at the Army Staff and Command
School in Bandung, West Java. However, despite this reprimand, Suharto will
be promoted to brigadier-general in January 1960.
In July Sukarno dissolves the House of Representatives and formally
introduces 'Guided Democracy'. A new parliament established in
March 1960 contains a majority of directly appointed representatives,
including blocks from the military (later known as the Golkar party) and
from the PKI. The leader of the PKI heads a newly formed House of Assembly.
The influence of the PKI expands in the early 1960s. Membership of the
party reaches two million. Affiliated unions and peasant organisations
have as many as nine million members. The PKI is directly involved in
the implementation of land and social reforms encompassed by the 'Guided
Democracy' credo and is active in pursuing an independent foreign policy
aligning Indonesia with China. By 1964 fears of a communist takeover of
the country become widespread.
1960 - Sukarno breaks diplomatic relations
with the Dutch and sets up the Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad),
a special military unit formed to recover West New Guinea, which is still
occupied by the Dutch. Suharto commands the unsuccessful 'Operation Mandala'
to drive the Dutch out. Full-scale war is averted by a
United
Nations (UN) and US-brokered settlement that sees the territory handed
to Indonesia in May 1963. However, under the 'New York Agreement' the
territory will have the right after five years to make an "act of
free choice" to determine its future.
1961 - Suharto is posted to Army Headquarters
in Jakarta. Following this posting, he embarks on his first overseas trip.
1962 - At the start of the year Suharto
is promoted to major-general and placed in charge of the Diponegoro Division.
1963 - On 23 September Sukarno begins
a confrontation with the newly formed state of Malaysia, across the Strait
of Malacca to the north of Sumatra. The low-level conflict draws in Britain,
the US and the Soviet Union and lasts until 1964, the so-called 'Year
of Living Dangerously'. Meanwhile, Suharto is made commander of Kostrad,
which now acts as a special alert force.
1964 - Golkar (the Joint Secretariat
of Functional Groups) is established by the military and backed financially
and organisationally by the government.
1965 - Suspicions that the communists
will attempt to take over the country are raised when the PKI, with Chinese
backing, proposes to establish a "fifth force" of armed peasants
and workers. The military divides into factions, with one group supporting
Sukarno and the PKI, and the other opposed. Suharto, who is now army
chief-of-staff, sides with the opponents.
On 30 September pro-communist military officers (the so-called September
30 Movement) attempt to stage a coup d'état, allegedly to prevent
a coup by their opponents in the military. Six anti-Sukarno generals and
a lieutenant are kidnapped and killed by the pro-communists. Suharto,
who had been informed of the anti-Sukarno coup plot but failed to head
it off, leads a counter force that puts down the pro-communists and allows
him to take control of the army.
The failure of the coup will result in widespread reprisals against the
communists, although the role of the PKI in the coup attempt is unclear.
Suharto's position is formalised on 16 October when Sukarno appoints
him as minister for and commander of the army. Suharto subsequently orders
the military to "clean up" the PKI.
PKI members and Chinese are targeted by the military, military-backed
militias and violent mobs, with up to two million being murdered (most
reports estimate the number at around 500,000). The military is purged
of pro-Sukarno elements. Sukarno is now politically and militarily isolated,
allowing Suharto to rise to ultimate power.
1966 - On 11 March Sukarno transfers
supreme authority to Suharto, who quickly acts to introduce his 'New Order'
(Orde Baru). The PKI is banned on 12 March. PKI members are purged from
the parliament. Labour organisations are banned and controls on the press
are tightened. The confrontation with Malaysia is ended, relations with
Western powers are reestablished, and ties with China are suspended. All
power is centralised on Suharto, who is the final arbiter of all political
decisions.
Overall spending on the military is increased, with some financial assistance
coming from the US, and the armed forces are given a central and permanent
role in civil governance and economic management, setting the ground for
the later development of endemic corruption. Two new intelligence gathering
agencies are established to prevent the reemergence of the PKI - the Operational
Command for the Restoration of Security and Order (Kopkamtib) and the
State Intelligence Coordination Agency (Bakin).
The military detains about 200,000 people allegedly involved in the attempted
coup, with the detainees being divided into three categories. Those in
'Group A' (PKI leaders and associates "directly involved") are
sentenced by military courts to death or long terms in prison; 'Group
B' detainees (those less actively involved) are sent to prison, in some
cases until 1980; those in 'Group C' (mostly rank and file PKI members)
are generally released. Executions of detainees continue until as late
as 1990.
1967 - On 12 March the House of Assembly
strips Sukarno of all political power and installs Suharto as acting president.
Sukarno is kept under virtual house arrest until his death on 21 June
1970. During the year Indonesia joins with Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines,
and Singapore to form a new regional and officially nonaligned grouping,
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Indonesia's diplomatic
relations with China are broken and most Chinese-language newspapers are
closed.
In August Suharto places all the divisions of the armed forces under
his control. Full political control is also ensured when the Assembly
agrees that the government will directly appoint one third of its members.
Suharto handpicks judges, the governor of the central bank, the board
of directors of each state-owned company and the chairman of the Security
and Exchange Commission.
1968 - On 21 March Suharto is formally
elected for a five-year term as president. He will remain in the position
until 1998, standing unopposed for successive five-year terms in 1973,
1978, 1983, 1988, 1993 and 1998.
1969 - Suharto honours the 'New York
Agreement' and allows West New Guinea to vote on the UN-monitored "act
of free choice" to determine if it wants to join the Indonesian Republic.
The vote is carried but the method of the referendum throws the result
into question. Rather than a general plebiscite the vote is restricted
to 1025 selected community representatives. After the UN General Assembly
ratifies the vote in November West New Guinea becomes the 26th province
of Indonesia and is renamed Irian Jaya (Victorious Irian).
The local resistance, the Free Papua Movement (OPM), rejects the referendum
result and begins an ongoing low-level insurgency, operating from sanctuaries
along the border with neighbouring Papua New Guinea (PNG). The OPM advocates
unification with PNG.
The Indonesian military establish a permanent presence in Irian Jaya
to control the indigenous population, who become increasingly concerned
by the influx of mainly Javanese immigrants brought in under the government's
transmigration program.
1970 - On 22 January student protests
are banned following a series of demonstrations against corruption. In
July a Suharto-appointed commission finds that corruption is widespread
throughout government. The commission is shut down.
1971 - Golkar wins 62.8% of the vote
in general elections held in July. It becomes entrenched as the dominant
political force in Indonesia, winning 62.1, and 64.3 percent of the popular
vote respectively in the general elections of 1977 and 1982. Other parties
are marginalised and forced to amalgamate and have their activities restricted.
By 1973 there are only three political parties allowed to operate in
Indonesia - Golkar, the United Development Party, and the Indonesian Democratic
Party. Suharto directly appoints over 20% of the members of the House
of Representatives. All Indonesia's public servants are required to join
a Golkar-controlled association and are compelled to vote for Golkar at
elections.
1974 - A military coup in Portugal
sees the installation of a new Portuguese Government determined to sever
the ties with its colonies, including East Timor and the small enclave
of Oecusse on the north coast of Timor. The decision divides the East
Timorese population.
The Timorese Democratic Union (UDT) initially favours a continued association
with Portugal. The Marxist Revolutionary Front for East Timor's Independence
(Fretilin) calls for full independence. When the UDT shifts its position
the two groups join in an independence campaign. The Popular Democratic
Association of Timor (Apodeti) favours integration with Indonesia and
receives backing from the Indonesian Government, which also wants to see
the province integrated.
Indonesia's policy on East Timor hardens following a meeting in September
between Suharto and Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, who acknowledges
that it may be best if the province joins Indonesia, if the East Timorese so wish.
1975 - The rise in the influence of
Fretilin causes concern in Indonesia, which fears that East Timor may
turn communist. On 28 November Fretilin proclaims the Democratic Republic
of East Timor. The opposition groups call on Jakarta to intervene.
Indonesia invades on 7 December, landing forces at the capital Dili
and at Baukau, 100 kilometres to the east, and installing a puppet government
composed of members of UDT and Apodeti.
The occupation takes place with the blessing of US President
Gerald
Ford and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger,
who meet with Suharto in Jakarta on 6 December, the day before the Indonesian
troops are mobilised.
"I would like to speak to you, Mr President, about another problem,
Timor. ... Fretilin is infected the same as is the Portuguese Army with
communism ... We want your understanding if we deem it necessary to take
rapid or drastic action," Suharto tells the visitors.
Ford replies, "We will understand and will not press you on this
issue. We understand the problem you have and the intentions you have."
Kissinger says, "You appreciate that the use of US-made arms could
create problems. ... It depends on how we construe it; whether it is in
self-defence or is a foreign operation. It is important that whatever
you do succeeds quickly. We would be able to influence the reaction in
America if whatever happens, happens after we return."
It is estimated that 60,000 East Timorese or 10% of the population are
killed in the first two months of the invasion. All told, up to 250,000
of East Timor's 1975 population of about 650,000 will die as a result
of the occupation, which will last for 24 years.
1976 - The extent of corruption within
Pertamina, the national oil producer, is revealed when the company begins
to default on debt repayments. The company's total debt is estimated at
more than US$10 billion.
1978 - Widespread student demonstrations
against the regime result in a tightening of control over university campuses
and the press.
1980s - Political and economic corruption
emerges as a major issue. Ties to Suharto are seen as an essential prerequisite
to doing business in Indonesia, with those in favour being given lucrative
government contracts often at the expense of economic efficiency. Cronies
of the regime use their positions for personal enrichment and to enhance
their political power. Suharto's six children use their privileged position
to launch questionable business ventures.
Nevertheless, the number of Indonesians living in absolute poverty drops
from 60% to 14% between 1970 and 1990.
1980 - On 5 May a group called the
'Petition of Fifty', composed of former generals, political leaders, academics,
students, and others, calls for greater political freedom. The petition
is not reported in the Indonesian media. Restrictions are placed on the
signatories to the petition. The government takes no action on the concerns
they have raised.
1982 - In September a new press-licensing
scheme is introduced that allows the government to close down an entire
publishing house for an unfavourable article published in a single newspaper
or magazine.
1983 - A cease-fire agreement is signed
between the Indonesian Government and Fretilin on 23 March, however, the
Indonesian Army resumes its offensive on 31 August.
1984 - The 'Petition of Fifty' accuses
Suharto of attempting to establish a one-party state. After riots against
the regime break out in September a high level member of the 'Petition
of Fifty' and former secretary-general of ASEAN is put on trial for antigovernment
activities and sentenced to a 10-year jail term.
1985 - In August hundreds of alleged
PKI supporters are removed from government jobs. Many PKI members imprisoned
since the coup attempt of 1965 are executed.
1987 - Golkar wins the general elections
held in April with an increased majority.
1990 - Resistance to Indonesian rule
begins to resurface in the staunchly Islamic province of Aceh, in the
westernmost part of Sumatra, spearheaded by the Free Aceh (Aceh Merdeka)
separatist movement. The military are unsparing in their efforts to crush
the separatists, with the number killed estimated to be about 5,000. The
conflict continues throughout the 1990s, as does that in Irian Jaya.
1991 - On 12 November, at the Santa
Cruz cemetery in Dili, Indonesian troops shoot and kill 271 unarmed Timorese
attending the funeral of a young Timorese killed during an earlier demonstration.
The so-called 'Dili Massacre' receives worldwide coverage.
The international community responds to the incident by suspending or
threatening to suspend aid to Indonesia, prompting Suharto to appoint
a national investigation commission to look into the incident.
The commission finds the army guilty of "excessive force".
The senior officer in East Timor and his superior in Bali are replaced,
three officers are dismissed from the army, and at least eight officers
and soldiers are court-martialled. Four junior officers are sentenced
to jail terms of between eight and 14 months. However, the punishments
are relatively light compared to the harsh sentences meted out to the
Timorese accused of instigating the incident.
1992 - At the general elections held
in June Golkar is again returned with a massive majority.
1993 - In March the US begins to support
critics of Indonesia's rule in East Timor. The UN Human Rights Commission
adopts a resolution expressing "deep concern" at human rights
violations by Indonesia in East Timor. In May the administration of US
President Bill Clinton
places Indonesia on a human rights "watch" list. When Suharto meets
Clinton in Tokyo in July concerns are raised about the East Timor human
rights issue.
1994 - Talks between senior Indonesian
Government figures and some Timorese resistance leaders are reported to
take place in September. Talks between Indonesia and Portugal about East
Timor also resume.
Towards the middle of the year Suharto indicates that he may not stand
for a seventh term as president at the elections scheduled for 1998.
1996 - Rioting breaks out in Jakarta
on 27 July after security forces seize the headquarters of the Indonesian
Democratic Party, occupied since June by supporters of former party head
Megawati Sukarnoputri, Sukarno's daughter, following her ousting in a
government-engineered takeover of the party.
1997 - In February Suharto visits
Burma to finalise a deal on the construction of toll roads by a company
run by his eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana ('Tutut'). Most of
the cars imported into Burma are manufactured by a company controlled
by Suharto, whose second and youngest sons are also involved in business
ventures in the country.
Golkar wins general elections held on 29 May, increasing its majority.
The election takes place in an atmosphere of violence. Over 250 are estimated
to have died in clashes before the poll, including at least 17 in East
Timor, where the military clamp down on protesters following the vote.
According to the US State Department, "Parliamentary elections are
tightly controlled by the Government of Indonesia. The electoral system
severely limits political competition; Indonesian citizens do not have
the ability to change their government through democratic means."
Towards the end of the year a financial and economic crisis in Asia sends
shockwaves through Indonesia. Conditions attached to a multi-billion International
Monetary Fund aid package see prices rise, causing widespread social discontent.
The floating of the currency sees the value of the rupiah plummet. Inflation
and unemployment soar and the flight of capital accelerates.
Meanwhile, a World Bank report estimates that at least 20-30% of Indonesian's
development budget over two decades has been embezzled for personal and
political benefit.
In September Burmese dictator Ne
Win travels to Indonesia for talks with Suharto, who complains that
the level of corruption in Burma is affecting his investments.
1998 - Riots break out across the
Indonesian archipelago in February. In March Suharto stands for and wins
a seventh term as president, despite earlier indications that he would
step down. Students take to the streets in massive and sustained demonstrations
calling on Suharto to resign and demanding political change.
At the same time, fresh riots shake Jakarta, with looters targeting Chinese
businesses. The riots are quelled by the military but the largely peaceful
student demonstrations are allowed to proceed. With the pressure mounting,
Suharto finally relents, announcing his resignation on 21 May. He is replaced
by his deputy, Jusuf Habibie.
1999 - In May
Time Asia reports that the Suharto
family fortune is worth an estimated US$15 billion in cash, shares, corporate
assets, real estate, jewellery and fine art. US$9 billion of this is reported
to have been deposited in an Austrian bank. The family is said to control
about 3.6 million hectares of real estate in Indonesia, including 100,000
square metres of prime office space in Jakarta and nearly 40% of the land
in East Timor. Over US$73 billion is said to have passed through the family's
hands during Suharto's 32-year rule.
2000 - Suharto comes under investigation
for the corruption that occurred during his presidency. On 29 May he is
placed under house arrest. In July it is announced that he will be charged
under a 1971 anticorruption law. He is accused of embezzling US$571 million
of government donations to one of a number of foundations under his control
and then using the money to finance family investments. The trial is set
to begin on 31 August but the case collapses on 28 September when a panel
of court-appointed doctors find him permanently physically and mentally
unfit to stand trial.
2002 - On 4 June it is reported that
Indonesian state prosecutors will check on Suharto's health with a view
to possibly reopening the corruption case against him. Suharto had been
spotted walking unaided and talking animatedly at a wedding in Jakarta.
A team of physicians examines Suharto on 18 June. They say they
need to run more tests. On 12 August the doctors announce that Suharto
is suffering from a non-specified "brain disease" that leaves
him barely able to speak. A state prosecutor says it is now unlikely that
Suharto will ever go to trial.
Meanwhile, on 26 July, Suharto's youngest son, Hutomo 'Tommy' Mandala
Putra, is found guilty and jailed for 15 years for organising the murder
of the judge who in September 2000 sentenced him to 18 months for his
role in a land scam. He is the first member of the Suharto family to be
found guilty and jailed for any offence.
The young Suharto maintains his innocence but says he will not appeal
the verdict or the sentence. He is incarcerated in Cipinang Penitentiary
in a well-appointed three-room cell and is granted protection by his own
bodyguards and the services of a personal secretary.
His wife, family and friends are allowed to come and go as they please and
he makes frequent trips to Jakarta for health checks, reportedly spending
at least a week of every month in the capital from December 2004 on. Later,
he is permanently transferred to a jail in Jakarta, supposedly to allow easier
access to medical care. It is also reported that he continues to conduct his
business affairs while behind bars.
2003 - In January the Indonesian National
Commission on Human Rights announces that it will conduct a wide-ranging
inquiry into violations committed during Suharto's reign. Beginning with
an investigation into the massacre of communists that followed the alleged
coup attempt in 1965, the 15-strong team will determine whether human
rights violations took place; whether state policies provided a basis
for rights violations; and whether Suharto was directly involved. The
investigation is expected to take five months and could result in prosecutions.
2004 - In January the prospect that
Suharto will face prosecution is reignited when Indonesia's attorney-general
orders that new medical tests be conducted to determine whether the former
dictator is healthy enough to stand trial for corruption.
The development is reported to be a reaction to public concerns following
the naming of Suharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana ('Tutut'),
as a candidate for upcoming presidential elections, and to perceptions
that Suharto is currently in good health.
On 10 February the attorney-general's office confirms that Suharto will
made to undergo further examinations by a special medical team. "Recently,
he (Suharto) met (former Malaysian leader) Mahathir and people received
an impression that he was healthy," says spokesman Kemas Yahya. "We
don't know whether he is physically fir or not. That's why he must be
examined."
Suharto's lawyer says that while his client is in good health physically
"his disease becomes apparent when he is asked to speak, especially
when he is asked to remember something."
Meanwhile, on 25 March the international anticorruption organisation
Transparency International (TI) places Suharto at the top of a list of
the world's most corrupt political leaders of the past two decades.
According to TI, Suharto is alleged to have embezzled between US$15 billion
and US$35 billion from Indonesia.
2005 - Suharto is admitted to the
Pertamina Central Hospital in Jakarta on 5 May with "massive digestive
bleeding" caused by diverticulosis. On 11 May he is allowed to return
to his home, although he still requires intensive medical treatment.
Meanwhile, Tommy Suharto's sentence for the murder of a judge is reduced by
the Indonesian Supreme Court from 15 to 10 years. Remissions prune a further
41 months from the sentence. Tommy Suharto is released on parole on 30 October
2006. He has served less than five years of the original 15 year sentence.
On 28 November 2005 the East Timor Parliament is presented with a report by the
Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor, an independent
group set up in 2002 to investigate the killings committed during the Indonesian
occupation.
According to reports in 'The Australian' newspaper and other media outlets, the
2,500-page report finds that 18,600 East Timorese civilians were murdered or
disappeared during the Indonesian occupation and between 84,200 and 183,000
more died as a direct result of Indonesia's policies. Indonesian police or soldiers
were to blame for 70% of the 18,600 murders and disappearances.
The report is based on interviews with almost 8,000 witnesses from East Timor,
statements from refugees in West Timor, Indonesian military documents and
intelligence from international sources.
"The crimes committed in 1999 were far outweighed by those committed during
the previous 24 years of occupation," the report says.
The Indonesian security forces "consciously decided to use starvation of
East Timorese civilians as a weapon of war."
"The intentional imposition of conditions of life which could not sustain
tens of thousands of East Timorese civilians amounted to extermination as a crime
against humanity committed against the East Timorese population. ...
"Rape, sexual slavery and sexual violence were tools used as part of the
campaign designed to inflict a deep experience of terror, powerlessness and
hopelessness upon pro-independence supporters. ...
"The violations were committed in execution of a systematic plan approved,
conducted and controlled by Indonesian military commanders at the highest level. ...
"Members of the civil administration of Timor and national-level government
officials, including (Indonesian) ministers, knew of the strategy being pursued
on the ground, and rather than taking action to halt it, directly supported its
implementation."
The report finds that the violence surrounding the 1999 independence vote was also
part of a systematic plan approved, conducted and controlled by Indonesian military
commanders to the highest level.
The report calls for reparations for victims of torture, rape and violence. It
also recommends that this compensation be paid by Indonesia, Portugal and foreign
nations that sold weapons to Indonesia and supported the annexation of East Timor.
According to the report, the mandate of the UN special crimes unit should be renewed
to allow it to investigate and try human rights violations. The UN Security Council
should also set up an international tribunal "should other measures be deemed
to have failed to deliver a sufficient measure of justice and Indonesian persists
in the obstruction of justice."
East Timor President Xanana Gusmao presents the report
to the UN on 21 January 2006. He is due to deliver a copy to Indonesian President
Suslio Bambang Yudhoyono on his way back from the UN but the meeting is cancelled
by the Indonesian authorities.
2006 - At the end of April, following Suharto's
appearance at a relative's wedding, Indonesia's attorney-general calls for another
medical examination to determine Suharto's fitness to stand trial.
However, on 4 May, Suharto is admitted to Pertamina Central Hospital with
intestinal bleeding. On 7 May he has surgery to stop the bleeding and remove 65
centimetres of his colon. It is the fourth time he has had to seek hospital treatment
for intestinal bleeding since May 2004.
Suharto undergoes corrective surgery on 19 and 24 May. He is released from
hospital on 31 May.
Meanwhile, on 12 May, Indonesian Attorney-general Abdul Rahman Saleh announces
that his office has closed a graft case against Suharto because "Suharto's
health is not good, his condition deteriorates." The final decision on
whether the case will be completely dropped rests with President Yudhoyono.
However, at the start of June, Judge Andi Samsang Nganro rules that the
Attorney-general's office has acted illegally and orders that the case
against Suharto "be reopened and continued."
An appeals court overturns the ruling at the start of August. A spokesman for
the court says "the decision to drop the Suharto case was legally valid.
... One of the considerations is that former President Suharto is suffering
from non-fluent aphasia, which prevents him from communicating orally and in
writing."
2007 - On 9 July Indonesian prosecutors lodge
a US$1.5 billion civil lawsuit against Suharto to recover funds allegedly siphoned
from the Supersemar educational foundation set up in 1974.
According to prosecutor Dachmer Munthe, "The suit was filed because evidence
has been found that the funds gathered by Suharto and the foundation he chaired
were not only used for scholarships ... but in reality the funds were also used
for other purposes."
The prosecutors allege that, beginning in 1978 and continuing until Suharto's
ouster, 85% of the money sent to the foundation was embezzled.
It is reported that Suharto will not need to appear in court for the proceedings.
The case begins on 9 August.
At the end of August Indonesia's Supreme Court orders 'Time' magazine to
pay Suharto US$106 in damages for defaming him in the May 1999 issue of
Time Asia.
'Time' announces that it will appeal the ruling.
Meanwhile, Suharto is named as the worst embezzler in modern times by the
Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative, a joint venture of the World Bank and the
United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime. A report by the Initiative quotes
the 2004 estimate by Transparency International that Suharto embezzled between
US$15 billion and US$35 billion during his reign.
The country was catapulted from what was basically a feudal society to
a democratic state in a matter of years. There was no tradition of multiparty,
participatory government and no great familiarity or understanding of
democratic institutions. There was, however, a legacy of brutal colonialism
and a tradition of political corruption overlying a pervasive and ongoing
cultural fatalism.
Someone like Suharto was necessary to ensure social cohesion in Indonesia,
but that does not excuse his excesses - the mass killings, the breathtaking
corruption, the refusal to step aside until his position became untenable,
the suffocating paternalism that brought a nation to its knees.
Suharto is an embodiment of all that is worst in Asian despots of the
20th Century. He combines the bloodthirstiness of Cambodia's Pol Pot and the greed of the Philippines'
Ferdinand Marcos.
