Former Indonesian President Suharto dead

"Father has returned to God," Suharto"s eldest daughter, Siti Hariyanti “Tutut" Rukmana, told reporters breaking down in tears. “We ask that if he had any faults, please forgive them…may he be absolved of all his mistakes," she said.
Officials said Suharto"s body Monday would be taken to Solo for the funeral.

His rule, however, led to political purges and the deaths of millions of suspected communists both Chinese-Indonesians, and his enaction of making law outlawing communist parties and ethnic Chinese created stir.The efforts to bring former President Suharto to justice for alleged human rights atrocities in East Timor,Aceh and Papua , have also been stymied by a lack of evidence.He invaded East Timor in 1975.His troops killed 300,00 in military operation against independence movements in papua,Aceh and east timor.Historians say up to 800 000 communist sympathizers were killed in his rise from 1065-65.

Suharto was born Raden Suharto on June 8, 1921 in Kemusu Argamulja, Java, Indonesia.Young man Suharto in the World War II,Japanese forces occupied Indonesia and then part of the Dutch EastIndies empire. The young Suharto was trained by a Japanese-created militia.

During the year 1945, incumbent president Sukarno declared independence from the Netherlands, sparking a bloody anti-colonial struggle in which Suharto played a leading role.The Netherlands finally handed over sovereignty four years later. Unlike the flamboyant Sukarno the country's first president.Impoverished Suharto was not charismatic or aristocratic who has seen life's misery from his childhood.
Many legislators struggled to stay awake during Suharto"s long speeches.

Indonesian government has declared a national week of mourning and national flag red-and white at half mast during this period.

PRESIDENT OF Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his personal sympathy and of government and all citizens in his national address.He visited Suharto"s residence late afternoon on Sunday in the central Jakarta suburb of Menteng to pay their last respect along with thousand Indonesian gathered to pay respect.

A National week of Mourning in Indonesia. Funeral services will commence on Monday.Suharto is survived by six children.

Suharto former Dictator died on Sunday in Jakarta of multiple organ failure. He was 86. Suharto seized power from his predecessor, the Sukarno first president of Indonesia through a mixture of force and political maneuvering against the backdrop of foreign and domestic unrest.

His in weld ability to maintain stability and an anti communist avowedly stance won him the economic and diplomatic support of several Western governments in the era of the cold war. His three-decade rule, Indonesia experienced significant development economical and industry to flourished.

His rule, however, led to political purges and the deaths of millions of suspected communists both Chinese-Indonesians, and his making law outlawing communist parties and ethnic Chinese created stir.

Muhamad Suharto died at about 1:10 p.m. (0610 GMT) at Pertamina Hospital in Jakarta. His family members were were present at his bedside when the former strongman died.
Suharto died following a prolonged illness.

Suharto, who had lapsed into a coma after more than three weeks in hospital, had suffered multiple organ failure. Suharto was admitted to the hospital in critical condition on January 4 with anemia and a low heart rate.

Suharto's almost unquestioned authority over Indonesian affairs slipped dramatically when the South Asian financial crisis blew and the Asian Tigers Indonesians" economy touch new low with their standards of living dipping. These were the reasons to fractured his support among the nation"s military, political and civil society institutions. After internal unrest, diplomatic isolation began to drain his support in the mid-to-late 1990s, Suharto was forced to resign from the presidency in May 1998 following student"s mass demonstration. President with serving the nation with the public face of Indonesia for over 30 years, Suharto lived his post-presidential years in near seclusion. His opponents making an attempts to try him on charges of virtual genocide failed due to his failing health. Suharto legacy is hotly debated and contested both in Indonesia and abroad.

Suharto was President of Indonesia from 1967 until his resignation in 1998. He steered Indonesia through a period of economic improvement, was staunchly anti-Communist and drew his country closer to the West.

Suharto was accused of being one of the 20th century’s worst kleptocrats by amassing billions of dollars for himself, his family and cronies while in power.
A criminal trial against him was abandoned on health grounds, though a civil suit is currently being heard.

The government is seeking 1.4 billion dollars in damages and returned assets allegedly accrued through a charitable foundation Suharto chaired while in power.

A former general, he stepped down under immense political pressure following widespread student demonstrations and rioting. Since then he was seldom seen in public due to several strokes, which had affected his speech and brain function, as well as giving him grounds to avoid appearing in court. Human rights groups accused Suharto of killing hundreds of thousands of people, including up to 500,000 alleged communist sympathizers, in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt that help him rise to power in 1965.
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