Major General Pranoto Reksosamodra (16 April 1923 – 9 June 1992) was an
Indonesian Army
The Indonesian Army ( (TNI-AD), ) is the army, land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,400 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the (TKR) "People's Se ...
general who was briefly
army chief of staff and was detained for 15 years without trial for alleged involvement in the
30 September Movement
The Thirtieth of September Movement (, also known as G30S, and by the syllabic abbreviation Gestapu for ''Gerakan September Tiga Puluh'', Thirtieth of September Movement, also unofficially called Gestok, for ''Gerakan Satu Oktober'', or Fir ...
coup attempt.
Early life and military career
Pranoto was born in
Bagelen,
Purworejo
Purworejo is a regency (; ) in the southern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,081.45 km2 and had a population of 695,427 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 769,880 at the 2020 Census ...
,
Central Java
Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...
, the ninth of ten children. He completed his elementary education in 1937 and studied at the
Muhammadiyah
Muhammadiyah (), officially Muhammadiyah Society () is a major Islamic non-governmental organization in Indonesia.A. Jalil HamidTackle the rising cost of living longer New Straits Times, 30 October 2016. Accessed 1 November 2016. The organization ...
Dutch middle school in
Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...
until 1940. He then studied to be a teacher, graduating in 1943, after which he decided to join the
PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president.
Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal right ...
militia, which had been established by the Japanese forces then occupying the
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
. During his training, he met and became a close friend of fellow cadet future Indonesian president
Suharto
Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...
. He moved up through the ranks, and fought in the
Indonesian War of Independence
The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during ...
. He graduated from the Indonesian Army Commando Staff School in 1957, and occupied a number of posts, including commander of the
Dipenogoro Area Military Command from 1959–1961, replacing Suharto, who Pranoto had reported to Army headquarters for his business activities. From 1962 to 1965 he was third assistant to the Minister/Commander of the Army,
Ahmad Yani
Ahmad Yani (19 June 1922 – 1 October 1965) was the Commander of the Indonesian Army, and was killed by members of the 30 September Movement during an attempt to kidnap him from his house.
Early life
Ahmad Yani was born in Jenar, Purwore ...
. with the rank of major general.
End of military career
On the night of 30 September 1965, a group calling itself the
30 September Movement
The Thirtieth of September Movement (, also known as G30S, and by the syllabic abbreviation Gestapu for ''Gerakan September Tiga Puluh'', Thirtieth of September Movement, also unofficially called Gestok, for ''Gerakan Satu Oktober'', or Fir ...
attempted to arrest a number of senior army generals, including Minister/Commander of the Army
Ahmad Yani
Ahmad Yani (19 June 1922 – 1 October 1965) was the Commander of the Indonesian Army, and was killed by members of the 30 September Movement during an attempt to kidnap him from his house.
Early life
Ahmad Yani was born in Jenar, Purwore ...
, who was killed when he refused to accompany the soldiers who came to his house to detain him. The following day, while troops loyal to the movement were still in control of
Central Jakarta
Central Jakarta (, ), abbreviated as Jakpus, is one of the five Cities of Indonesia, administrative cities () and ''de facto'' Capital City of the Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta. It had 902,973 inhabitants according to the 2010 census ...
, President
Sukarno
Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967.
Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...
went to
Halim Air force Base, which the group was using as its headquarters, although he claimed that this was so he could be near an aircraft if he needed to escape. There he was informed of the kidnappings of the generals by Brig. Gen
Supardjo, one of the movement's leaders. After hearing from another general, Subur, that Yani might have been killed, and following discussions with Supardjo, at around 4pm, Sukarno decided to appoint Pranoto as caretaker army commander, possibly because of his seniority and his sympathies for Sukarno's political philosophy of
Nasakom
Nasakom (), which stands for nationalism, religion and communism, was a political concept coined by President Sukarno. This concept prevailed in Indonesia from 1959 during the Guided Democracy Era until the New Order, in 1966. Sukarno's idea of ...
, nationalism, religion and communism. Pranoto was also acceptable to the
Communist Party of Indonesia
The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in the Dutch East Indies and later Indonesia. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its Indo ...
, who would later be blamed for the coup attempt. However, Maj. Gen.
Suharto
Suharto (8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian Officer (armed forces), military officer and politician, and dictator, who was the second and longest serving president of Indonesia, serving from 1967 to 1998. His 32 years rule, cha ...
, commander of
Kostrad
The Army Strategic Reserve Command (; abbreviated Kostrad) is a combined-arms formation of the Indonesian Army. Kostrad is a Corps level command which has up to 35,000 troops. It also supervises operational readiness among all commands and con ...
, the army strategic reserve had driven to Kostrad HQ in central Jakarta and after learning of the disappearance of Yani, decided to take charge of the army. He subsequently persuaded the 30 September Movement troops occupying the square in front of Kostrad HQ to withdraw. Pranoto was also in the building, and when Sukarno's adjutant arrived to summon Pranaoto to Halim, refused to let him go and did not broadcast news of Pranoto's appointment, as ordered. Instead, Suharto announced that he had taken command of the army.
Following the failure of the 30 September Movement, on 2 October, Sukarno, Suharto, Pranoto and Gen. Mursjid had a meeting at the
Bogor Palace
The Bogor Palace (; ) is one of seven presidential palaces of Indonesia, it is located in the city of Bogor, West Java. The palace is noted for its distinctive architectural and historical features, as well as the adjoining botanical gardens. Ist ...
. This ended with a compromise. As Pranoto's appointment was unacceptable to Suharto and Armed Forces Chief of Staff, General
Abdul Haris Nasution
Abdul Haris Nasution (; 3 December 1918 – 6 September 2000) was a high-ranking Indonesian general and politician. He served in the military during the Indonesian National Revolution and remained in the military during the subsequent turmoil of ...
, Sukarno would formally command the army, Pranoto would carry out the "daily tasks" of the commander and Suharto would be responsible for the "restoration of security and order". However, Suharto behaved as ''de facto'' army commander, and under pressure from him and Nasution, on 16 October Sukarno conceded and formally appointed Suharto as minister/commander of the army.
Imprisonment and death
Pranoto was accused of involvement in the 30 September Movement, and on 16 February 1966, he was detained on the orders of Suharto, who had never forgiven him for the "betrayal" of the report to Army HQ. He was never tried, and remained in custody for 15 years, finally being released on 16 February 1981. He died on 9 June 1992 and was buried in the Tanah Kusir public cemetery,
South Jakarta
South Jakarta (; ), abbreviated as Jaksel, is one of the five administrative cities which form the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. South Jakarta is not self-governed and does not have a city council, hence it is not classified as a ...
.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Reksosamudro, Pranoto
Indonesian generals
1923 births
1992 deaths