Alexander Evert Kawilarang

Alexander Evert Kawilarang (23 February 1920 – 6 June 2000) was an Indonesian freedom fighter, military commander, and founder of Kesko TT, what would become the Indonesian special forces unit Kopassus.

Kawilarang was born in Batavia (now known as Jakarta) on 23 February 1920.

His father, Alexander Herman Hermanus Kawilarang, was a major in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL or Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger).

His mother was Nelly Betsy Mogot.

Both parents were from the Minahasa region in North Sulawesi.

Kawilarang enjoyed European style education that included attending the Dutch secondary school (HBS or Hogere burgerschool) in Bandung.

Around 1940, he attended the Dutch military academy or Koninklijke Militaire Academie that was moved to Bandung, because of the German occupation of the Netherlands.

His classmates included A. H. Nasution and T. B. Simatupang.

After graduating from the academy, he was stationed in Magelang as platoon commander and assigned back to Bandung as an instructor.

During the Japanese occupation, Manadonese (Minahasan), Ambonese, and Indo people were often arbitrarily arrested during raids due to their perceived closeness to the Dutch.

Many were severely tortured by the Kempeitai.

Kawilarang was tortured several times by the Japanese in 1943 and 1944.

He survived, but suffered lifelong disability in his right arm and numerous scars.

Kawilarang recalls: "Someone in the warung [food stall] said: 'Japan Will Grant the Indonesian people its freedom.' I could not ascribe any sense at all to such small talk. Impossible! That was my opinion. But I remained silent. I didn't feel much for more torture ... A news paper wrote: 'Japan is an old friend.' Lies! I thought. Kawilarang slowly developed an appreciation for the rhetoric of the charismatic Indonesian nationalist Sukarno and became strongly convinced that the time for an independent Indonesian state had arrived.

In 1944, Kawilarang's father was presumed killed while he was a POW on the Japanese cargo ship Junyo Maru (see his father's Japanese detention card at the Dutch National Archives website).

The ship was carrying 3,000 Menadonese, Ambonese, Indo-European, Dutch, British, Australian, American POW's, and over 3,500 Javanese Romusha when it was sunk by the British submarine HMS Tradewind.

Kawilarang recalls being told about the tragedy: "I prayed in silence. I did not cry. The Japanese had given me enough practice in digesting pain and suffering in silence."

For the remainder of the war, Kawilarang worked in several private companies in Sumatra, the last of which was as chief of a rubber factory in Tanjung Karang (now Bandar Lampung) in South Sumatra.

After the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, Kawilarang returned to Jakarta and enlisted in the newly formed Indonesian army.

In October 1945, he was assigned to the staff of the First Command of West Java or Komandemen I Jawa Barat in Purwakarta and given the rank of major.

In January 1946, he became Chief of Staff of the Bogor Infantry Regiment of the Second Division.

In August 1946, he became the commander of the Second Brigade ("Surya Kencana") of the newly formed Siliwangi Division and was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

He was in command of the brigade during Operation Product, the first Dutch military aggression against the Republic of Indonesia.

He also commanded the First Brigade for a brief period when the brigade was transferred to Yogyakarta.

In mid-1948, Kawilarang was included in a contingent of government and military officials to Bukittinggi in West Sumatra.

The move was in anticipation of a second Dutch military aggression and to allow the formation of an Indonesian emergency government outside of Java.

Kawilarang was assigned to lead the Seventh Sub-Territorial Command (or Komando Sub-Teritorial VII) for Tapanuli and the southern region of East Sumatra.

One of his tasks was to stop the infighting between factions of the army in the area.

When the Indonesian government-in-exile was enacted because of Operation Kraai (the second Dutch military aggression against Indonesia), Kawilarang was appointed as Deputy Military Governor of the region in Sumatra with Ferdinand Lumbantobing appointed as Military Governor.

In December 1949, Kawilarang was appointed as Territorial Commander of North Sumatra (or Komando Teritorium/Sumatra Utara, now Kodam I/Bukit Barisan) in anticipation of the Dutch recognition of Indonesian sovereignty after the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference.

During his career, Kawilarang was territorial commander of two other important military districts: Military Territory VII / East Indonesia ( Tentara dan Teritorium (TT) VII/Indonesia Timur, now Kodam XIV/Hasanuddin) in April 1950 and Military Territory III / West Java (Tentara dan Teritorium (TT) III/Jawa Barat, now Kodam III/Siliwangi) in November 1951.

Having just turned 30 and promoted to colonel, Kawilarang was given command of the first post-independence expeditionary force in April 1950.

He was ordered to quell a revolt by a company of former KNIL that included Andi Aziz and Dutch army soldiers or Koninklijke Leger in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The expeditionary force consisted of several brigades, including those that were led by Suharto (the future second president of Indonesia) and Joop Warouw.

On 8 August 1950, fighting ceased after negotiations between Kawilarang and Dutch General Scheffelaar.

Regarding Kawilarang's relationship with Suharto during the expedition, Kawilarang was said to have struck Suharto due to a military blunder by troops under Suharto's command.

In at least one interview, with Kawilarang, he denied striking Suharto, but did state that he had to admonish him.

Around the same time of the military operation in Makassar, Kawilarang also organized forces against the separatist RMS movement in the Moluccas.

However, in 1958 he resigned his post as military attaché to the United States to join the separatist Permesta movement where he encountered Kopassus as his opponent.

His involvement in Permesta damaged his military career, but he remained popular and active in the armed forces community.