Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Untung bin Syamsuri (Sruni, Kebumen,
Central Java
Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
, 3 July 1926
[Army Judiciary Education Center (1966) p. 3] – September 1967
[Hughes (2002) p. 205]) was one of the leaders of the 1965 coup attempt in
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 ...
known as the
30 September Movement
The Thirtieth of September Movement ( id, Gerakan 30 September, abbreviated as G30S, also known by the acronym Gestapu for ''Gerakan September Tiga Puluh'', Thirtieth of September Movement) was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian Na ...
.
A career soldier, Untung was the first officer parachuted into
Western New Guinea
Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, or Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the Melanesian island of New Guinea which is administered by Indonesia. Since the island is alternatively named as Papua, the region ...
in 1962 at the start of President
Sukarno's efforts to expel the Dutch forces who still controlled it. As a result of his actions, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and awarded a medal.
[Hughes (2002) p. 29][Roosa (2006) p. 41] In West Papua, and later in the Diponegoro Division in
Central Java
Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...
, Untung served with future president
Suharto
Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...
, who attended Untung's wedding in 1964.
[Crouch (2007) p. 123]
In early 1965, Untung was transferred to the
Tjakrabirawa Regiment
The Tjakrabirawa Regiment was the presidential bodyguard unit of the former Indonesian President Sukarno. It was disbanded in 1966 because of its involvement in the coup attempt of the 30 September Movement.
History
The Tjakrabirawa Regiment w ...
, the Presidential Guard, and commanded one of its four foot guard battalions.
[Sundhaussen (1982) p. 194] He was put in charge of arrangements for the
Armed Forces Day
Many nations around the world observe some kind of Armed Forces Day to honor their military forces. This day is not to be confused with Veterans Day or Memorial Day.
Africa
Egypt
In Egypt, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 6 October, ...
Parade to be held on 5 October. Being the 20th anniversary of the
Indonesian National Armed Forces
, founded = as the ('People's Security Forces')
, current_form =
, disbanded =
, branches =
, headquarters = Cilangkap, Jakarta
, website =
, commander-in-chief = Joko Widodo
, ...
, Sukarno had ordered a special event. For the day, a full infantry combat brigade was moved from East and Central Java and into Jakarta including three battalions of infantry, one of tanks, one of armoured vehicles, a mortar battalion, an anti-aircraft battalion and an engineers' battalion.
On the morning of 1 October 1965, troops had surrounded Merdeka Square in central
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
in support of the 30 September movement, but Untung was at
Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base along with other leaders of the movement, including
D. N. Aidit
Dipa Nusantara Aidit (born Ahmad Aidit; 30 July 1923 – 22 November 1965) was an Indonesian communist politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI) from 1951 until his summary execution during the Indones ...
, leader of the
Communist Party of Indonesia
The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in Indonesia during the mid-20th century. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its violent disbandment in 1965. ...
.
[Roosa (2006) pp. 39–41] However, he was named as leader of the 30 September movement in radio broadcasts made by the group from the
Indonesian State Radio building on Merdeka Square.
When the coup attempt failed, Untung and the other leaders left Halim. Untung was captured near
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 ...
, Central Java in October. He was tried by the Special Military Court (Mahmillub). He denied he was a member of the Communist Party and insisted that he had acted on his own initiative.
[Hughes (2002) p. 30] He was sentenced to death and executed in September 1967.
[Crouch (2007) pp. 159, 205, 242]
Lt Gen
Ahmad Yani
General Ahmad Yani (19 June 1922 – 1 October 1965) was the Commander of the Indonesian Army, and was killed by members of the 30 September Movement during an attempt to kidnap him from his house.
Early life
Ahmad Yani was born in Jenar, ...
, who was killed by the troops of the 30 September Movement, had been Untung's commanding officer when they served in a raider unit. Brigadier General (then Colonel)
Sarwo Edhie Wibowo
Lieutenant General (Ret.) 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 a ...
, commander of the
RPKAD para-commando regiment, which played a key role in quashing the coup attempt had been responsible for Untung's paratrooper training. Brigadier General,
Kemal Idris
Ahmad Kemal Idris (10 February 1923 – 28 July 2010) was a prominent Indonesian Army general during the 1950s and 1960s. He was an Indonesian guerrilla leader during the Indonesian National Revolution, who in 1949 was involved in continued resis ...
, whose troops crushed the coup attempt in northern Sumatra as commandant of
Kodam I/Bukit Barisan
Military Regional Command I/Bukit Barisan ( id, Komando Daerah Militer I Bukit Barisan/Kodam I Bukit Barisan) is an Indonesian Army Regional Military Command that covers the Sumatran provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau and Riau Isl ...
, was a guest at Untung's wedding.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Untung, Syamsuri
1926 births
1967 deaths
20th-century executions by Indonesia
Executed Indonesian people
People from Kebumen Regency