K'tut Tantri
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K'tut Tantri (19 February 1898 – 27 July 1997), born Muriel Stuart Walker, was a
Scottish American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ameireaganaich Albannach''; sco, Scots-American) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scotch-Irish Americans, d ...
woman who was best known for her work as a radio broadcaster for the Indonesian Republicans during the
Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or 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 Aftermath of WWII, postw ...
. Due to this work, she was referred to by the nickname "Surabaya Sue" among British and Dutch news correspondents.


Biography


Early life

Muriel Stuart Walker was born in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and emigrated with her mother to
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
following the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. She worked as a
scriptwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...
in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
. Between 1930 and 1932, she also married an American man named Karl Jenning Pearson, who died in 1957. In 1932, she left the United States to begin a new life on the
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n island of
Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...
, where she would spend the next fifteen years. Her decision to emigrate to Bali was inspired by watching a film called ''Bali: the last paradise'', which gave a utopian image of the island, which was then part of the
Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
. She wanted to become an artist there and abandoned her life in suburban America.


Bali

During her time in Bali, Muriel Stuart Walker was adopted by a local
rajah ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...
named Anak Agung Nura. She also adopted the Balinese name K'tut Tantri, which translated into English as "fourth-born child." During her time in Indonesia, Tantri also became fluent in the Balinese and
Indonesian language Indonesian ( ) is the official language, official and national language of Indonesia. It is a standard language, standardized variety (linguistics), variety of Malay language, Malay, an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that has be ...
s. Later, she established a hotel in
Kuta Kuta is a tourist area, administratively an urban village (''kelurahan''), and the capital of Kuta District, Badung Regency, southern Bali, Indonesia. A former fishing village, it was one of the first towns on Bali to see substantial tourist de ...
where she developed a fondness for the Indonesians and an aversion towards the
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
, whom she regarded as "arrogant colonialists." She also became acquainted with several Western expatriate artists including Walter Spies and Adrien le Mayeur. During the
Japanese occupation of Indonesia The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. It was one of the most crucial and important periods in modern Indonesian history. In May ...
, Tantri chose to remain behind with the Balinese, who she regarded as her people. While she was later accused of collaborating with the Japanese, she has maintained in her autobiography ''Revolt in Paradise'' that she was imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese.


The Indonesian Revolution

Following the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Tantri was recruited into the Indonesian nationalist cause by rebels affiliated with the Indonesian guerrilla leader
Bung Tomo Sutomo (3 October 1920 – 7 October 1981), also known as Bung Tomo (meaning Comrade or Brother Tomo), is best known for his role as an Indonesian military leader during the Indonesian National Revolution against the United Kingdom and th ...
. She became a radio broadcaster for the Voice of Free Indonesia. Due to her work for the Indonesian government, she became known as "Surabaya Sue" among the British and Dutch forces occupying
Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
; a reference to the Japanese propaganda broadcasters dubbed
Tokyo Rose Tokyo Rose (alternative spelling Tokio Rose) was a name given by Allied troops in the South Pacific during World War II to all female English-speaking radio broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The programs were broadcast in the South Pacific ...
. In addition, Tantri contributed articles to an English-language magazine produced by the Republicans, which was also called the ''Voice of Free Indonesia''. She witnessed the
Battle of Surabaya The Battle of Surabaya was fought between regular infantry and militia of the Indonesian nationalist movement and British and British Indian troops as a part of the Indonesian National Revolution against the re-imposition of Dutch colonial r ...
and later joined
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 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 ...
's Republican administration as a speech writer and broadcaster. She also took a personal liking to Sukarno's oratory and charismatic personality. In her memoirs, Tantri claimed to have been acquainted with Indonesian nationalist leaders like Bung Tomo and
Amir Sjarifuddin Amir Sjarifuddin Harahap ( EVO: Amir Sjarifoeddin Harahap; 27 April 1907 – 19 December 1948) was an Indonesian politician and journalist who served as the second prime minister of Indonesia from 1947 until 1948. A major leader of the lef ...
. She also claimed that she had successfully exposed a plot by pro-Dutch Indonesians to overthrow Sukarno and install
Hamengkubuwono IX Hamengkubuwono IX or HB IX (12 April 1912 – 2 October 1988) was an Indonesian statesman and royal who was the second vice president of Indonesia, the ninth sultan of Yogyakarta, and the first governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Hamen ...
, the
Sultan of Yogyakarta Hamengkubuwono ( jv, ꦲꦩꦼꦁꦑꦸꦨꦮꦟ) is the current dynasty, ruling royal house of the Yogyakarta Sultanate in the Special Region of Yogyakarta of Indonesia. The reigning Sultan of Yogyakarta is the hereditary List_of_governors_of_Yo ...
, as the new President. In January 1947,Yong Mun Cheong, p.3 Tantri took part in an Indonesian operation to sail a boat through the Dutch naval blockade to reach British-controlled
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. From there, she and the other Indonesian delegates had planned to travel to India or Australia to publicize the Indonesian story to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. She sailed from the port of
Tegal Tegal is a city in the northwest part of Central Java of Indonesia. It is situated on the north coast (or ''pesisir'') of Central Java, about from Semarang, the capital of the province. It had a population of 239,599 at the 2010 Census and 276 ...
in
East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...
in a boat that was captained by a pro-Indonesian
Ambonese The Ambonese, also known as South Moluccans, are an Indonesian ethnic group of mixed Austronesian and Melanesian origin. They are majority Christians followed by Muslims. The Ambonese are from Ambon Island in Maluku, an island group east of Sula ...
captain known as "Captain Ambon" and a sympathetic British skipper.Suryono Darusman, pp. 33 However, this plan to travel to Australia did not eventuate since the travels funds promised to her by the Indonesian Ministry of Defence never materialized.Suryono Darusman, p.33 During her time in Singapore, K'tut Tantri was interviewed by Earle Growder and Eddy Dunstan, two journalists from the ''
Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' is an English-language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore and currently owned by SPH Media Trust (previously Singapore Press Holdings). ''The Sunday Times'' is its Sunday edition. The newspaper was establishe ...
'' newspaper. Since she lacked proper documents other than a passport issued by the Indonesian Republic, Tantri had to fake her way through the Singaporean immigration authorities by assuming the identity of an intoxicated woman who was the partner of a Chinese trader. Tantri subsequently reported her case to the Singapore Criminal Investigation Department which provided her with temporary identity papers. Tantri also took the credit for exposing a corrupt Indonesian agent who had been pocketing from the sale of sugar used to raise funds for the Indonesian Republic. While in Singapore, K'tut Tantri met Abdul Monem, a representative from the
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
ian government and the
Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
, who had been sent by his government to extend formal diplomatic recognition to the Indonesian Republic. Since the Dutch and British consuls in Singapore had refused to help him travel to Yogyakarta, she and a sympathetic English businessman managed to charter a
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
-registered aircraft for the sum of S$10,000, which she claimed the Indonesian Ministry of Defence would reimburse. This same aircraft later brought her back to Singapore along with the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Agus Salim, who was on his way to
New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...
to meet the
Indian Prime Minister The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
. Throughout the duration of the Indonesian National Revolution, K'tut would make several trips between Indonesia and Singapore during several secret missions for the Republic.


Legacy

A few years later, K'tut Tantri found her way to
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
via Singapore where she helped publicize the Indonesian republican cause among sympathetic Australians. After obtaining an American passport from the United States Consul in Sydney, she returned to the United States where she published her memoirs, ''Revolt in Paradise'', in 1960. The book quickly became a bestseller and was widely translated. For the next thirty years, she tried to get ''Revolt in Paradise'' made into a film but this never eventuated due to her adamant refusal to alter any details of the book. She spent her last years at a nursing home in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia where she died on 27 July 1997. Prior to her death, she was befriended by the Australian academic Tim Lindsey, who concluded that she had fabricated several of the events in her memoir. Following her death, she was cremated following a non-religious memorial service on 9 August 1997. Her coffin was draped by the Indonesian flag and Balinese yellow and white clothes. Her funeral was attended by the deputy Indonesian Ambassador to Australia, by Bill Morrison the former
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia The Ambassador of Australia to Indonesia is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Republic of Indonesia. The position has the rank and status of ...
and his wife, and by several filmmakers, scriptwriters, anthropologists, and a historian. Her remains were cremated while her estate was distributed to poor Indonesian children. Despite her services to the Indonesian Republic, she was omitted from most of the official Indonesian records of the independence struggle and has received little serious scholarly attention. The Indonesian diplomat Suryono Darusman confirmed most of K'tut Tantri's account including her work as a broadcaster for the Voice of Free Indonesia and speechwriter for President Sukarno, and her voyage to Singapore and Australia to publicize the Indonesian republican cause. However, he noted that despite her contributions to the Indonesian nationalist cause, the Indonesians were uncomfortable with her unorthodox lifestyle and her exaggerated claims for attention. According to Darusman, the Indonesians never bothered to find out her real name.Suryono Darusman, pp. 32-33. The Singaporean historian Yong Mun Cheong also observed that the vituperative nature of her radio broadcasts in support of the Republican cause caused some embarrassment for the Indonesians. This led them to smuggle her out of Indonesia to Singapore in 1947, officially on the pretext that the Dutch would try to arrest her at the first opportunity.


Further reading

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tantri, Ktut 1898 births 1997 deaths British emigrants to the United States American emigrants to Indonesia People of the Indonesian National Revolution Indonesian radio presenters Indonesian women radio presenters Indonesian people of Scottish descent