The Tjakrabirawa Regiment was the presidential bodyguard unit of the former

Indonesian President The president of the Republic of Indonesia () is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president is the leader of the executive branch of the Indonesian government and the commander-in-chief of the In ...

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 ...

. It was disbanded in 1966 because of its involvement in the coup attempt of 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 ...

History

The Tjakrabirawa Regiment was formed on 6 June 1962 by President Sukarno at the suggestion of army officers after attempts to assassinate the head of state, most recently on 14 May that year. Its primary task was to provide security for the president and his family. Security for the president consisted of individual protection and area protection. Its personnel were recruited from all branches of the

Indonesian military The Indonesian National Armed Forces (; abbreviated as TNI) are the military forces of the Republic of Indonesia. It consists of the Army (''TNI-AD''), Navy (''TNI-AL''), and Air Force (''TNI-AU''). The President of Indonesia is the Supreme C ...

, such as the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

Raiders and the Army Parachute Commandos, the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

Commando Operations Corps (KKO), the

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

Rapid Action Force (PGT) and

Police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

Mobile Brigade (BRIMOB). The first commandant and executive officer were Brigadier General M. Sabur and Colonel Maulwi Saelan. President Sukarno gave the name "Tjakrabirawa" after

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

's fictional sacred weapon in

wayang ( , ) is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. The term refers both to the show as a whole and the puppet in particular. Performances of wayang puppet theatre are accompanied by a ''gamel ...

mythology. The regiment badge was a golden "Cakra" in a dark red pentagonal field. Its members wore a brick red beret, pushed to the left. On 30 September 1965, Lieutenant Colonel Untung, commander of one of the regiment's three battalions, led the

coup attempt. Tjakrabirawa personnel were involved in the kidnapping and subsequent murder of six senior generals. The coup failed, and Untung was later sentenced to death for his actions. In the months following the coup attempt, the army encouraged a series of anti-Sukarno demonstrations in Jakarta. During a large demonstration by students near the

presidential palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

on 24 February 1966, Tjakrabirawa soldiers opened fire, killing a female high school student and a male university student, Arif Rahman Hakim. Two months after the issuing of the 11 March 1966 Order authorizing 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 ...

to take all measures necessary to guarantee security, there were purges in the Air Force, Navy and Police, and the Tjakrabirawa regiment was disbanded on 28 March. Its members were hunted down by the Army, interrogated, tortured and jailed. Those deemed to have been directly involved in the 30 September Movement were executed. Presidential guard functions were subsequently taken over by the Military Police Command of the Armed Forces in early 1966, called Satgas Pomad Para. Subsequently, the Presidential Security Force ("Pasukan Pengamanan Presiden") was formed by New Order Government and is still responsible for presidential protection, as well as for honor guard duties in the capital.

Organization

The Tjakrabirawa organization consisted of: * HQ and Services Detachment * Special Security Detachment * Personal Security Detachment * Honor Guard Detachment ** Detachment HQ ** 1st Honor Guard Battalion (consisting of Army personnel) ** 2nd Honor Guard Battalion (consisting of Navy personnel) ** 3rd Honor Guard Battalion (consisting of Air Force personnel) ** 4th Honor Guard Battalion (consisting of Police personnel) ** Presidential Band * Support Detachment

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * Sukarno Transition to the New Order Military units and formations of Indonesia Guards regiments Military units and formations disestablished in 1966 {{mil-unit-stub