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Ex-dictator Suharto is mourned, buried
2008-01-28
Tens of thousands of Indonesians mourned former dictator Suharto during his state funeral Monday, a striking display of affection for the U.S. Cold War ally whose brutal military regime killed hundreds of thousands of left-wing political opponents. As mourners watched a motorcade carry the former dictator's body to the Suharto family mausoleum, many sobbed and called out the name of the man whose rule, though harsh, brought economic growth and stability to Indonesia. "He was a great man," said Sumartini, a 65-year-old woman. "His death touched us deeply." The former president died Sunday of multiple organ failure after more than three weeks on life support at a Jakarta hospital. He was 86. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono led the funeral, which began just before noon at the mausoleum near the city of Solo, Suharto's hometown, some 250 miles east of the capital. After a reading of Suharto's military accomplishments, a shot was fired in his honor and Yudhoyono saluted. Islamic prayers were said and as Suharto's body was lowered, family and friends tossed flower petals into his grave. A military band played a dirge. "We have lost one of the nation's best sons, a true soldier and respected statesman," said Yudhoyono, who had previously declared a national week of mourning. Suharto made mistakes, Yudhoyono continued, but he also made great contributions to his nation. "May Allah accept his deeds and forgive his sins," Yudhoyono said. Suharto loyalists, who run the courts, have called for forgiveness and a clearing of his name. But survivors want those responsible for atrocities to be held accountable. "I cannot understand why I have to forgive Suharto because he never admitted his mistakes," said Putu Oka Sukanta, who spent a decade in prison because of his left-wing sympathies. Suharto was finally toppled by mass street protests in 1998 at the peak of the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis. His departure from office opened the way for democracy in this predominantly Muslim nation of 235 million people, and he withdrew from public life, rarely venturing from his comfortable Jakarta villa. Suharto ruled with a totalitarian dominance that saw soldiers stationed in nearly every village, instilling a deep fear of authority across this Southeast Asian archipelago that stretches across more than 3,000 miles across 17,500 islands. Since being forced from power, Suharto had been in and out of hospitals after strokes caused brain damage and impaired his speech. Poor health -- and continuing corruption, critics charge -- kept him from court after he was chased from office. The bulk of killings occurred in 1965-1966 when alleged communists were rounded up and slain during his rise to power. Estimates for the death toll range from a government figure of 78,000 to 1 million cited by U.S. historians Barbara Harff and Ted Robert Gurr, who have published books on Indonesia's history. During Indonesia's 1975-1999 occupation of East Timor, up to 183,000 people died due to killings, disappearances, hunger and illness, according to an East Timorese commission sanctioned by the U.N. Similar abuses left more than 100,000 dead in West Papua, according a local human rights group. Another 15,000 died during a 29-year separatist rebellion in Aceh province. Suharto's five successors as head of state all vowed to end the graft that took root under his regime, yet it remains endemic at all levels of Indonesian society.
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