Omar Dhani
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Omar Dani
)
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Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Omar Dhani | |
---|---|
Minister / Commander of the Air Force | |
In office 19 January 1962 – 24 November 1965 | |
President | Sukarno |
Preceded by | Soerjadi Soerjadarma |
Succeeded by | Sri Mulyono Herlambang |
Personal details | |
Born | Air Chief Marshal | 23 January 1924
Unit | Aviation |
Battles/wars |
|
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 first worked on a plantation, then at the government radio station, in the ministry of information, and then in a bank. He enrolled in the Air Force Academy in 1950, and in 1956, attended the
Royal Air Force Staff College, Andover in Great Britain. He rose through the ranks to become Minister and Commander of the Air Force in January 1962, succeeded Soerjadi Soerjadarma after the latter was accused of not providing air support during the Battle of Arafura Sea
.
He was appointed as the commander of the Korps Siaga, later Korps Mandala Siaga (KOLAGA) during the 1963-1965
Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation
, where he commanded three brigades.
Imprisonment and eventual release
His support for Sukarno, and his apparent support for the 30 September Movement in 1965 was his undoing. For example, he had issued comments in support of the movement on the front page of the leftist daily Warta Bhakti.[1] Shortly after the downfall of President Sukarno, he was arrested and sent to prison by the new government led by Suharto.[2]
In 1995, at age 71, he was legally pardoned on the order of
Indonesian Communist Party.[3] Nonetheless, the release was insisted upon by Suharto against the wishes of the Armed Forces.[4] Upon his release from jail Dhani became one of the main sources for research into the Air Force's role during the 1965 coup. He died on 24 July 2009, at the age of 85. He is buried at Jeruk Purut Cemetery in South Jakarta.[5]
References
- ^ "Bezette Stad". Algemeen Handelsblad (in Dutch). 4 October 1965. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ISBN 979-8933-32-X, p. 140
- ^ a b "Executies een spel om de macht in Indonesië". Trouw. 24 August 1995. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Vijftig jaar Indonesië". De Volkskrant. 19 August 1995. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ *"Former Air Force chief Omar Dhani dies at 85". The Jakarta Post. Jakarta. 14 July 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.