Supriyadi

Supriyadi was an Indonesian national hero who rebelled against the occupying Japanese in 1945.

Early life

Supriyadi was born in Trenggalek, East Java on 13 April 1923. He attended junior high school, then an school to prepare him for government bureaucracy in Magelang. However, the Japanese invaded Indonesia before he graduated. He then switched to high school and underwent youth training ("Seimendoyo") in Tangerang, West JavaSudarmanto (1996), pp. 231-232 ] .

Involvement with PETA

In October 1943, the Japanese established a militia, PETA (Defenders of the Fatherland) to assist Japanese forces against the Allies. Supriyadi joined PETA, and after training was posted to Blitar, East Java. He was takes with overseeing the work of the Romusha forced laborers. The plight of these workers inspired him to rebel against the Japanese.

The Blitar rebellion

When nationalist leader Sukarno visited his parents in Blitar, PETA officers told him that they had begun to plan a rebellion and asked for Sukarno's opinion. He told them to consider the consequences, but Supriyadi, leader of the rebels, was convinced the uprising would succeed.

In the early hours of 14 February 1945, rebels attacked Japanese troops, causing heavy casualties. However, the Japanese defeated the rebellion and put the ringleaders on trial. Six (or eightRicklefs (1982) p196] ) people were sentenced to death and the rest were given jail sentences ranging from three years to life. However, Supriyadi was not executed, and may have been killed without trial to avoid public angerMutiara (1999), p90 ] .

Disappearance

On 6 October 1945 in a government decree issued by the newly independent Indonesia, Supriyadi was named minister for public security in the first cabinet. However he failed to appear, and was replaced on 20 October by "ad interim" minister Muhammad Soeljoadikusuma. To this day his fate remains unknownSimanjuntak (2003), p18 ] .

He was officially declared a National Hero on 9 August 1975 in Presidential Decision No. 063/TK/1975.

References

* Mutiara Sumber Widya (publisher) (1999) "Album Pahlawan Bangsa (Albam of National Heroes)", Jakarta
* Ricklefs (1982), "A History of Modern Indonesia", Macmillan Southeast Asian reprint, ISBN 0-333-24380-3
* Simanjuntak, P.H.H (2003) "Kabinet-Kabinet Republik Indonesia: Dari Awal Kemerdekaan Sampai Reformasi (Cabinets of the Republic of Indonesia: From the Start of Independence to the Reform Era", Penerbit Djambatan, Jakarta, ISBN 979-428-499-8
* Sudarmanto, Y.B. (1996) "Jejak-Jejak Pahlawan dari Sultan Agung hingga Syekh Yusuf (The Footsteps of Heroes from Sultan Agung to Syekh Yusuf"), Penerbit Grasindo, Jakarta ISBN 979-553-111-5

Notes