FBIS Daily Report, 29 Mar 1968: Arrest of Mrs Suharti Suwarto, Gerwani deputy chairman, and husband Subarto

Title: FBIS Daily Report Asia-Pacific (1968-04) - Mrs Suharti Suwarto, deputy chairman of Gerwani (arrest report) [HathiTrust nnc1.cu00734551] Source: HathiTrust Digital Library (full view, US government work), page OCR text via text-only view Volume: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc1.cu00734551 Date retrieved: 2026-10-17 Note: page-image PDFs could not be downloaded (HathiTrust temporarily blocked image downloads); OCR text only. Page #501 29 March 1968 INDONESIA rrr 5 Sulawesi Hails Decisions Djakarta Domestic Service in Indonesia 1500 GMT 28 Mar 68 B [Text] The people of south Sulawesi joyously hailed the decisions of the fifth IMPRS general session with regard to the appointment of General Suharto as full President. Political parties, mass organizations, and functional groups in south Sulawesi expressed satisfaction over the fact that their representatives had exercised their democratic rights. Meanwhile, with regard to the appointment of General Suharto as President of the Republic of Indonesia, the central executive committee of the SOKSI (Indonesia Socialist Functional Workers Central Organization)- affiliated PPPI (Indonesian Progressive Youth Vanguards) expressed confidence that under the leadership of President Suharto and with the support of all Pantjasila patriots the Indonesian nation would succeed in winning the struggle to build a just and prosperious society blessed by God Almighty. The general headquarters of the Indonesian Republican Veterans Legion also hailed the results of the fifth MPRS general session which, it said, offer good prospects for concrete and integrated development, General Suharto's appointment as President of the Republic of Indonesia reflects the growing confidence of the people in him. They have moreover givenhim a mandate to set up a construction cabinet to continue the work of the present Ampera Cabinet. COMMUNISTS ATTEMPT TO DISRUPT MPRS SESSION Djakarta ANTARA in English 0830 GMT 27 Mar 68 B [Text] Djakarta--Three members of the banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) were arrested Sunday afternoon after succeeding in entering the "first ring" of the security cordon thrown by security troops around the Provisional People's Congress (MPRS) which is now in session. From first investigations it develops that the three were an "advance group" of a team of communists headed by Olah Hutapea which planned to create trouble during the MPRS session. The Olah Hutapea group of communists already had circulated illegal leaflets in the MPRS areas as one of its attempts to create trouble during the sessions of the highest legislative body. The leaflets, among other things, aimed at playing off General Suharto, the acting president, against Gen Abdul Haris Nasution, MPRS chairman. They also claimed that the MPRS sessions were not reflecting democracy, that there were pressure groups during the debates, and so forth. The leaflets and the other communist subversive activities, apart from fomenting trouble during the MPRS proceedings, also aimed at discrediting General Suharto in connection with his imminent trip to Japan and Cambodia starting 28 March. Major Sarwandi, deputy chief information officer of the Djakarta Raya Military Command, meantime disclosed Tuesday afternoon that, in view of the increased communist subversive activities which were being combined with elements of the old order to disturb the MPRS sessions, further security measures had been taken by the command to increase vigilance and safeguard the MPRS meetings. Major Sarwandi also disclosed that a security operation, dubbed Operation Kalong (Opcration Bat), under the command of Major Suroso, who arrested coup movement leader Brigadier General Supardjo, and other security units had uncovered [words indistinct]. Page #502 29 March 1968 INDONESIA rrr 6 In this connection, Operation Kalong had rounded up some 300 underground communists who attempted to create trouble during the MPRS session, Sarwandi added. The arrest of the communists was carried in BERITA YUDHA, the army newspaper, Tuesday morning. Major Sarwandi revealed that of the 300 arrested communists, 25 percent were military and the remainder civilians, Among the arrested persons were those who had "strong positions" and held key posts. A number of communists who fled East Java to Djakarta had also been rounded up by the security authorities, he added. A group of communist militants calling itself the "Komando Lasjkar Pembevasan Rakjat Indonesia" (Kolapri-- Legion Command for Liberating the People of Indonesia) was also rounded up, including its commander and a number of firearms, Major Sarwandi announced, He did not mention details about Kolapri, Among the arrested communists were a married couple who had been in hiding and moving from house to house until they were arrested on 22 and 23 March. Mrs Suhari Suwarto, one of them, was a middle-aged woman but still most talkative and very active underground for the communists. She was arrested dressed in the regional dress of Minangkabau, West Sumatra, where the majority are. Moslem. Like most devout Moslem women, she was veiled. Mrs Suharti Suwarto was the deputy chairman of the executive board of the PKI-associated Gerwani women's organization and concurrently was head of the women's division of the PKI Central Committee, She also had been a member of parliament and concurrently a congresswoman. She had succeeded in infiltra among the Moslems by posing as a religious teacher. Her husband, Subarto, who was the chief of security of the PKI Central Committee and also an ex-MPRS member representing the 1945 generation, was also arrested. Like his wife, he had infiltrated Moslem religious circles, won their sympathy, and then became their community chairman. Some of the leaders of the PKI of East Java who had escaped arrest so far but who turned up here and were among those rounded up by the security forces, included Jusuf, member of the standing committee of the East Java PKI Committee, Ali Supri, and some of their associatiates who had set up a Komite Djakarta Raya here. Ardjanu, a former army colonel, was also seized for maintaining continous contacts wi the underground PKI. When arrested, former Colonel Ardjanu held the post of director of the Fadjar Ternak Company. Another PKI bigwig arrested was Dr Sukardi, who posed as director of the Pelita Bahari Company. The director of the Dharma Niaga Government Corporation was arrested with him, Major Sarwandi disclosed. Other Communists caught in the dragnet of Operation Kalong were Supardi Martoredjo, chairman of the Railway Trade Union Federation, affiliated with the SOBSI PKI-affilat trade federation, Zalhadir Jusuf of the CPI, Mohammad Hollo alias Karman of Serbaud Aviation Trade Union, also a SOBSI offspring; and some others. Major Suroso meanwhile said that a number of militarymen in the armed forces had also been rounded up. These arrested officers had been coached by the special bureau for recruitment of the PKI, he added. The Kolapri militant plot headed by former Major Gindo Bangkok was broken up, its members arrested--including its battalion commander, Jusuf Herman Stanilaus Halo--and its arms seized. Major Suroso said that more arrests had been made by his men of communists who had fled to Djakarta after fleeing Tjirebon. They had been headed by PI leader Col Machmjd Pasja alias Leman. The arrested persons were Misda, Ramelan, and others. Major Suroso said that the security raids and activities under "operation bat" would continue and be particularly intensified during the current session of the MPRS. Page #503 29 March 1968 INDONESIA rrr 7 Suharto Message on PKI Djakarta Domestic Service in Indonesian 0000 GMT 29 Mar 68 B [Text] A meeting between cabinet ministers, heads of projects, and governors frea throughout Indonesia, and Indonesian ambassadors who happen to be in Djakarta was held at the state palace yesterday. President Suharto, in a written message read by Presidential Aide Sultan Hamengku Buwono, stressed that eradication of remnants of Gestapu-PKI and their political guerrilla activities abroad must be intensified. According to the President, the government has made preparations this year for implementing the 5-year development plan which will begin in early January 1969. ASSOCIATED PRESS CORRESPONDENT EXPELLED Singapore AFP in English 0646 GMT 29 Mar 68 B (FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY) [Text] Djakarta--The Indonesian Government has expelled ASSOCIATED PRESS Correspondent Jeff Williams and asked him to leave the country before 8 April. No reason was given for the decision, conveyed in a letter to Mr Williams by the director general of immigration, Mr Napitupulu. The letter merely said that Williams request for an extension of his visa was rejected and that he should leave the country within 2 weeks of the receipt of the letter. Williams said he received the letter last Monday and was planning to leave Djakarta on 6 April. He said that although the letter did not give any reason, the authorities had told him that they took strong exception to one of his reports last month on the appointment of new members of the People's Congress and relations between the then Acting President General Suharto and General Nasution, chairman of the People's Congress. Williams has been in Indonesia for more than 2 years. ADVANTAGES SEEN IN USE OF U.S. SATELLITE Djakarta ANTARA in English 0215 GMT 26 Mar 68 B [Text] Bundung, 24 March--The director of the Indonesian National Aeronautics and Outer Space agency, Dr Kusumanto, has said Indonesia could cooperate with the United States on the use of the U.S. earth resources test satellite to be launched in 1970. Dr Kusumanto was commenting on the advantages Indonesia could share with the United States in making development progress faster. According to Dr Kusumanto, natural resources exploration, which used to take dozens of years, could be shortened into several weeks by use of the datellite. The exploration the satellite is able to conduct--including finding areas having large deposits of minerals, determining types of forests, and discovering the extent and part of the ocean having large schools of fish-could be of significant importance to Ir lonesia because "we are obviously behind other countries in efforts to develop the economy. He said it was not necessary for Indonesia to have a satellite like the one the United States will launch, but it could cooperate with the United States in This ield.