Suharto

Suharto was the second president of Indonesia, who entered office in 1967. His presidency was authoritarian, strictly anti-Communist, and backed by military force. Though it was initially welcomed for forcing progress in the country, his administration became bloodthirsty and corrupt by the end of his term in 1998. Due to Suharto's failing health, he was not able to be prosecuted for charges of embezzlement and genocide. Suharto died of multiple organ failure in 2008.

Suharto was the Major General of the Indonesian army why he defeated an attempted coup in September 1965. It was blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party which was then outlawed, and its members purged from the government. This fierce anti-Communism would follow Suharto throughout his career.

Suharto took advantage of the weakened government and wrested power from President Sukarno and put himself in power. Suharto was inaugurated president in March 1968. He called his administration the New Order. Its stern opposition to Communism made Suharto's administration popular with Cold War-era America.

Although Suharto's New Order brought significant industrial and economic growth to Indonesia, it was also responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. By the end of his term, the government had become extremely corrupt. The Suharto family alone embezzled and estimated 1.5 to 35 billion dollars from the country

• Google News: Suharto
• Christian Science Monitor: Indonesia's Suharto: a complex legacy (January 28, 2008)
• Bloomberg: Suharto Leaves a Legacy of Stability in Indonesia (January 28, 2008)
• Washington Post: "Former Indonesian Dictator Suharto Dies at 86" (January 27, 2008)
  • "Suharto, who in 32 years of authoritarian rule of Indonesia turned one of Asia's largest and poorest countries into a fast-growing tiger economy, died today in Jakarta."
• LA Times: Indonesia's Suharto dies (January 27, 2008)
• FOXNews: Former Indonesian Dictator Suharto Suffers Multiorgan Failure (January 11, 2008)
• Taipei Times: "Suharto Hospitalized With Heart Trouble" (January 6, 2008)
• UPI: Suharto In Critical Condition (January 5, 2008)
• WSJ.com: "Suharto v. Time" (January 5, 2008)
• International Herald Tribune: "Commanding Yet Isolated, Suharto Fades Away" (October 31, 2007)
• The Philadelphia Inquirer: "Time Inc. Loses Defamation Ruling To Suharto" (September 11, 2007)
• Reuters: "Indonesian Lawyers Fail To Agree Suharto Settlement" (September 4, 2007)
• MSNBC: Indonesian Lawmakers Mull Suharto Pardon (May 10, 2006)
• CNN: Indonesia Ex-Dictator Has Colon Surgery (May 5, 2006)

• June 8, 1921: Born

• 1940: Enlists in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army

• 1945: Joins the Indonesian Army and appointed commander of the Third Regiment

• 1959: Implicated in sugar smuggling and other corrupt practices and removed from his command

• 1960: Promoted to brigadier-general despite the previous reprimand

• 1965: Took control of the army after attempted coup by pro-communist military officers

• 1966: Introduces the New Order after Sukarno transferred most of his power to Suharto

• 1967: Appointed as acting president after The House of Assembly strips Sukarno of political power

• 1968: Suharto is formally elected for a five-year term as president

• 1973-1998: Unopposed for reelection as president

• 1984: Accused by The 'Petition of Fifty' of attempting to establish a one-party state

• 1998: Won a seventh term as president while students protest causing the Jakarta riots of 98

• 2000: Accused of embezzling $571 million of government donations yet charges fail due to health issues

• 2002: Indonesian state prosecutors contemplate reopening the corruption case pending health reports

• 2005: Admitted to the Pertamina Hospital with massive digestive bleeding caused by diverticulosis

• 2006: Undergoes surgery due to intestinal bleeding resulting in 65 cm of his colon being removed

• 2007: Faces a $1.5 billion civil lawsuit lead by Indonesian prosecutors

• 2008: Rushed to Pertamina Central Hospital suffering from anemia and severe edema

• January 27, 2008: Died