Second Sergeant Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali (18 March 1943 – 17 October 1968), also spelt Osman bin Haji Mohamed Ali, was an Indonesian marine and convicted murderer. He uses the aliases Janatin or Usman Janatin during his task of bombing the MacDonald House, which killed three people and injured 33 other people. Usman was executed alongside his accomplice

Harun Said Harun Thohir or Harun Bin Said (birth name Tahir Bin Mandir) (1943–1968) was an Indonesian soldier born in Bawean Island, East Java, on 4 April 1943 to Mahdar and Aswiyani, while another source stated that he was born on 14 April 1943. He was ...

for the murders of the three deceased victims from the MacDonald House bombing.

Biography

Usman Haji Muhammad Ali was born in Jatisaba,

Purbalingga Purbalingga ( Javanese: ꦥꦸꦂꦧꦭꦶꦁꦒ) is a town and district in Central Java Province of Indonesia and the seat of Purbalingga Regency Villages The district includes 11 urban villages (''kelurahan'') and 2 rural villages (''desa'') ...

, on 18 March 1943. He graduated from middle school in 1962. On 1 June 1962, he entered the

Indonesian Marine Corps '' ("Glorious on the Land and Sea") , colors = , colors_label = Beret color , march = Mars Korps Marinir , mascot = , equipment = ...

, and was appointed as one of three volunteers to serve in the military operation ''Komando Siaga'' (later renamed ''Komando Mandala Siaga''), led by Air Force Vice Admiral

Omar Dhani Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Omar Dhani (23 January 1924 – 24 July 2009) was commander of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) from 1962 until 1965. He was a leading leftist figure in Indonesia during the Sukarno era. Early life and career Dhani fir ...

, during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. Usman was later stationed at

Sambu Island Sambu ( id, Pulau Sambu; ) is a minor island in Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. It is located on the north-western side of Batam Batam is the largest city in the province of Riau Islands, Indonesia. The city administrative area covers thr ...

Riau Riau is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of Sumatra along the Strait of Malacca. The province shares land borders with North Sumatra to the northwest, West Sumatra to the west, and Jambi to the south. Accord ...

Bombing of MacDonald House

On 8 March 1965, Usman,

Harun Thohir Harun Thohir or Harun Bin Said (birth name Tahir Bin Mandir) (1943–1968) was an Indonesians, Indonesian soldier born in Bawean, Bawean Island, East Java, on 4 April 1943 to Mahdar and Aswiyani, while another source stated that he was born on 14 ...

, and Gani bin Arup were assigned to conduct sabotage in Singapore: equipped with a rubber boat and of explosives, they were told to bomb an important building of their own choice. On 10 March 1965, they targeted a civilian building, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank building (now the

MacDonald House The MacDonald House is a historic building and monument in Singapore, located at Orchard Road in the Museum Planning Area, within the Central Area. It was the first building to be fully air-conditioned in Southeast Asia. Located a short dist ...

), killing three and wounding at least thirty-three, all civilians.

Capture and Conviction

Usman and Harun subsequently escaped to a beach, while Gani disappeared and presumably returned to Indonesia. After seizing a motorboat, which broke down at sea, they were rescued by another boat and subsequently handed over to the Singapore

Marine Police Water police, also called harbor patrols, port police, marine/maritime police, nautical patrols, bay constables, river police, or maritime law enforcement or coastal police are police officers, usually a department of a larger police organizat ...

on 13 March 1965. Initially claiming to be engaged in fishing, they were however arrested and interrogated by the local police. Usman and Harun were convicted of murder as they had been wearing civilian clothes at the time and had targeted a civilian building; both men were sentenced to death by a Singapore court. The two were hanged in

Changi Prison Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. History First prison Before Changi Prison was constructed, the only penal facility in Singapore was at Pearl's Hill, beside t ...

on 17 October 1968. Usman's remains were taken back to Indonesia and buried in

Kalibata Heroes Cemetery The National Main Heroes Cemetery in Kalibata ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Nasional Utama, Kalibata, colloquially known as Kalibata Heroes Cemetery ( id, Taman Makam Pahlawan Kalibata, or ''TMP Kalibata'') is a military cemetery in Kalibata, South ...

, Jakarta.

National Heroes

They were awarded the status of Indonesian national heroes on 17 October 1968 (the same day they were hanged) and were posthumously promoted to one rank higher than those they held prior to their last operation.

KRI Usman-Harun (359)

In 2014, one of three ships of the

Bung Tomo-class corvette The ''Bung Tomo'' class is a class of three Indonesian multi role patrol corvettes or Multirole Light Frigates (MRLF) by Indonesia. They were originally built for the Royal Brunei Navy and named ''Nakhoda Ragam''-class corvettes but were ultimatel ...

of the

Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut, , Indonesian National Military-Naval Force, TNI-AL) is the naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol I ...

(initially built for

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

but later sold to Indonesia) was named after Usman and Harun as the KRI Usman-Harun (bearing the pennant number 359). The ship's name caused controversy between Indonesia and Singapore due to the bombing attack of 1965 and its immediate after-effects. Indonesia has not reversed its naming decision; in response, the Singapore government has banned the ship from entering its waters or docking in the country.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Authority control 1943 births 1968 deaths Indonesian military personnel National Heroes of Indonesia 20th-century executions by Singapore Indonesian people executed abroad