Omar Dhani

Air Marshal 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.

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	23 January 1924 Surakarta, Dutch Indies
Died	24 July 2009 (aged 85) Jakarta, Indonesia
Nationality	Indonesia
Spouse(s)	Ny. Sri Wuryanti
Children	6
Profession	Soldier
Military service
Allegiance	Indonesia
Branch/service	Indonesian Air Force
Years of service	1952–1965
Rank	Air Marshall
Unit	Flying Corps
Battles/wars	PRRI Rebellion Permesta Operation Trikora Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation

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.

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 Soeharto.[2]

In 1995, at age 71, he was legally pardoned on the order of Suharto, along with Soebandrio and Soetarto, two other longtime political prisoners.[3] The date of their release was timed to occur the day before the fiftieth anniversary of Indonesian independence. This was apparently a humanitarian gesture aiming to make the Suharto regime open to reform; what those three political prisoners also had in common was that they were never officially members of the 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

1. "Bezette Stad". Algemeen Handelsblad (in Dutch). 4 October 1965. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
2. Soerodjo, Benedicta and Soeparno, JMV (2001), Tuhan, Pergunakanlah Hati, Pikiran dan Tanganku—Pledoi Omar Dani (God, Use My Heart, Mind and Hands—Omar Dani's Testimony), PT Media Lintas Inti Nusantara, Jakarta, ISBN 979-8933-32-X, p. 140
3. "Executies een spel om de macht in Indonesië". Trouw. 24 August 1995. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
4. "Vijftig jaar Indonesië". De Volkskrant. 19 August 1995. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
5. • "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.