Family welcomes move to restore Dharsono's name

Family welcomes move to restore Dharsono's name

BANDUNG (JP): Andriana held back tears when asked to comment
on the government's plan to restore the good name of her husband,
Hartono Rekso Dharsono, a leading soldier-diplomat who died two
years ago after spending five years in jail for subversion under
former president Soeharto's regime.

Now ailing from Parkinson's disease, Andriana, 71, recounted
how her husband tried to put a brave face on his incarceration.
"How bitter it was, only he knew, because he never complained to
us," she said here on Saturday after revealing to reporters that
she found out about the plan to grant her husband a posthumous
amnesty in the media.

"We tried to soothe his wounded feelings by visiting him in
jail. Deep down in our hearts we could never accept it. How could
we? He was innocent," Andriana said.

"We have not received any official notification, but if it is
true, we hope it (the plan) will be carried out," Andriana said
at her home.

She said she had yet to pass the news on to all of her six
children. "Some of my children are still in Germany and
Australia," she said.

After taking part in the independence struggle of the 1940s,
Dharsono's military career peaked when he became chief of the
Bandung-based Siliwangi Regional Command in 1966-1969, during
which time he helped to establish Soeharto's New Order
government.

He served as ambassador to Thailand (1969-1972) and Cambodia
(1972-1975) and was secretary-general of the Association of
Southeast Asia Nations from 1976 to 1978.

After retiring from public life, Dharsono, fondly known as Pak
Ton, became one of Soeharto's staunchest critics. He was sent to
jail in 1985 after being found guilty of attempting to undermine
the government and inciting unrest by helping to draft a white
paper on the Sept. 12, 1984, Tanjung Priok riot.

He was released for good behavior in 1990 after serving five
years of his sentence. He died of cancer in June 1996.

Despite being awarded a number of service medals, his right to
burial in a heroes' cemetery was denied and he was instead put to
rest in Sirnaraga Cemetery, Bandung. Many of his colleagues,
including Lt. Gen. (ret) Ali Sadikin, Lt. Gen. (ret) Solichin
G.P., and Lt. Gen. (ret) Kemal Idris were outraged at this act.

Ali wept bitterly and even snapped at then West Java military
chief Maj. Gen. Tayo Tarmadi over the unfairness of the
situation.

However Dharsono's family accepted the situation more calmly.

"A burial place is a burial place," Dharsono's daughter, Rani,
said. "What is more important is the restoration of his name
because he was innocent."

"He was released before his time was up, but that's not enough
for us. We want his good name to be restored," Andriana added.

She said she would never understand why her husband was blamed
for a crime he did not commit. "It's the most hateful thing
(Soeharto's) government did to us," Andriana said.

She described how before her husband retired Soeharto often
visited Bandung and her family would do everything to welcome
him. (43)