Sarwo Edhie Wibowo

Sarwo Edhie Wibowo (25 July 1925 – 9 November 1989) was an Indonesian military leader and the father of Kristiani Herrawati, the former first lady of Indonesia and the wife of president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and also the father of Chief of Staff Pramono Edhie Wibowo.

In 1942, when the Japanese took control of Indonesia, Sarwo Edhie went to Surabaya to enlist with the Defenders of the Motherland Army (PETA), a Japanese-run auxiliary force consisting of Indonesian soldiers.

After the Indonesian Declaration of Independence on 17 August 1945, Sarwo Edhie joined the BKR, a militia organization who would become the precursor of TNI (the present Indonesian Army) and formed a battalion.

However, the venture failed and the battalion disbanded.

It was his hometown compatriot, Ahmad Yani who encouraged him to continue being a soldier and invited him to join a battalion at Magelang in Central Java.

Sarwo Edhie's career in the military saw him serve as battalion commander in the Diponegoro Division (1945–1951), then regimental commander (1951–1953), deputy regimental commander of the National Military Academy (1959–1961), chief of staff of the army Paracommando Regiment (RPKAD) (1962–1964), and commander of RPKAD (1964–1967).

The RPKAD was the Indonesian government's attempt at creating a special forces unit (going on to become Kopassus) and Sarwo Edhie's appointment as the elite unit's commander was thanks in no small part to Yani.

By 1964, Yani had risen to become the army commander and wanted someone who he could trust as commander of RPKAD.

It was during Sarwo Edhie's time as RPKAD Commander that the 30 September Movement happened.

As an army colonel he played a direct role in directing troops during the Indonesian killings of 1965–66, in which more than half a million Indonesian civilians died.

With Suharto's blessing, Wibowo initiated the slaughter.

Later, he served as Chairman of the BP-7 center, as Indonesia's ambassador for South Korea and as governor of the Indonesian Military academy.

Sarwo Edhie was born in Purworejo, Central Java to a family of civil servants working for the Dutch Colonial Government.

As a child, he learned silat as a form of self-defense.

As he grew up, Sarwo Edhie formed an admiration for the Japanese Army and their victories against the Allied Forces stationed in the Pacific and Asia.

During the morning of 1 October 1965, six Army generals, including Ahmad Yani were kidnapped from their houses and taken to the Indonesian Air Force's Halim Airbase.

Whilst this kidnapping process was being executed, a group of unidentified troops occupied the National Monument (Monas), the Presidential Palace, the Republic of Indonesia Radio (RRI), and the telecommunications building.

Sarwo Edhie and his RPKAD troops were at the RPKAD headquarters at Cijantung in Jakarta, where they were joined by Colonel Herman Sarens Soediro.

Soediro announced that he was bringing message from the Kostrad headquarters and informed Sarwo Edhie of the situation in Jakarta.

Sarwo Edhie was also informed by Soediro that Major General Suharto, the Commander of Kostrad had for the moment assumed leadership of the Army.

Sarwo Edhie sent Soediro back with the message that he will side with Suharto.

Once Sudiro left, Sarwo Edhie was visited by Brigadier General Sabur, the Commander of the Cakrabirawa (Presidential Guard), of which G30S member Lieutenant Colonel Untung belonged to.

Sabur asked Sarwo Edhie to join the G30S Movement.

Sarwo Edhie told Sabur that he was in the side of Suharto, no matter what the cost, and opposed the offer.

At 11 AM that day, Sarwo Edhie arrived at the Kostrad headquarters and received orders to retake the RRI and Telecommunication buildings at 6 PM (The deadline by which the unidentified troops were expected to surrender).

When 6 PM arrived, Sarwo Edhie ordered his troops to retake the designated buildings.

This was achieved without much resistance, as the troops there retreated to Halim and the buildings were taken by 6.30 PM.

With the situation at Jakarta secured, Suharto turned his eyes to Halim Air Base.

The air base was the place which the kidnapped Generals were taken to and the headquarters of the Air Force unit which had thrown its support behind the G30S Movement.

Suharto then ordered Sarwo Edhie to retake the air base.

Starting their attack at 2 AM on 2 October, Sarwo Edhie and the RPKAD had the air base taken by 6 AM.

After taking Halim Air Base, Sarwo Edhie joined Suharto as both of them were summoned to Bogor by President Sukarno.

While Suharto found himself admonished by Sukarno for ignoring his orders, Sarwo Edhie found himself shocked by Sukarno's insensitivity to the death of the six Generals.

To his question of "Where are the Generals?", Sukarno responded "Aren't these things a normality in a revolution?".

On 4 October 1965, Sarwo Edhie's troops would preside over the exhumation of the dead bodies of the Generals from the Lubang Buaya well.

On 16 October 1965, Suharto was appointed Commander of the Army by Sukarno.

By then, the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) had been accused as the culprits of the G30S and anti-Communist sentiments had built up sufficiently to gain momentum.

Sarwo Edhie was given the task of eliminating PKI members in the Communist hotbeds in Central Java.

There were numerous estimates as to the number of people killed during these months.

Early estimates number between half a million at the very least and a million at the most.