Bus Passenger Story Shouts At Lt. Col. Untung Si Actor G30S Thief

Lt. Col. Untung Syamsuri when he was about to be brought to justice by the Extraordinary Military Court (Mahmilub) in Jakarta in 1965. (Special)

JAKARTA - Lieutenant Colonel (Letkol) Untung bin Syamsuri had an important role in the September 30th Movement or G30S in 1965. He acted as the leader of the troops who kidnapped the general council. A group of Army (AD) generals who were deemed to have the potential to overthrow the power of Soekarno and the Old Order.

General Suharto and the Indonesian military are furious. The heinous act was tried to be overcome. Whoever was involved in the G30S was hunted down. Luckily, he managed to escape. However, his identity was revealed when he was shouted at by bus passengers.

The G30S incident shocked the whole of the archipelago. The military coup was considered a disgrace in the history of the Indonesian nation. The narrative was based on the fact that the coup perpetrators perpetuated the kidnapping of Indonesian Army generals.

Lt. Col. Untung became the leader of the rebel forces involved in the G30S. The action was carried out because Untung and his friends received leaked information regarding the issue of the council of generals who wanted to coup Soekarno and the Old Order.

Untung dan mundur lainnya bersikat. Jenderal-general itu harus ditumpas. Six orang general dan satu perwira berhasil diculik pada 1 November 1965 dini hari. Antara lain Panglima Angkatan Darat, Lieti Jenderal Ahmad Yani. Sekitarnya adalah staf umum Army, mulai Major General S. Parman, Major General Mas Tirtodarmo Harjono, Major General R. Supriapto, Brigadir Jenderal Soetojo Siswomiardjo, Brigadir Jenderal DI Panjaitan, dan aiden AH Nasution, Lettu Pierre Tandean.

Penculikan itu membuat keseluruh Jakarta gempar pada pagi hari, 1 Oktober 1965. Warga Jakarta diminta untuk tetap di rumah. Sekolah maupun perangseran diliburukkan. Pangkostrad Jenderal Suharto mengambil sikap. Ia bergerak cepat mengisi ke vacungan AD dan melawan kampok mundur. Suharto pun mampu mengamankan negara.

They (trade) will work hand in hand with the Bimasakti Troops, under the leadership of Captain (Inf) Soeradi, to carry out the security of the capital city and control strategic objects, including the Telecommunication Center Building on Jalan Merdeka Selatan and Central RRI Station. Untung accused the seven generals above members of the Board of Generals who were designing the overthrow of President Soekarno.

Untung's statement through RRI illustrates its goals, power-crazy generals and officers, who always neglect the fate of their subordinates, on the pile of suffering of their subordinates living luxurious andfoyaful lives, insulting women, and having wasted state money. They must be kicked out of the Army and given the punishment accordingly. The Army is not for generals, but belongs to all Army soldiers who are loyal to the ideals of the August 1945 Revolution," said Untung as quoted by Julius Pour in the book Gerak 30 September: Perpetrator, Hero & Petualang (2010).

It is possible that the G30S rebellion was successfully extinguished. However, insurgency wounds continued to emerge. The kidnapped Army generals were later found dead in Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta a few days later.

This condition made Suharto take a stand. He then held an operation to crack down the G30S insurgency actors. Fortunately, one of them. The figure was asked to be responsible for the heinous incident of kidnapping and the murder of an army general.

Suharto is of the view that the rebels want to carry out a coup against the President of Indonesia. He called the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) the mastermind. Since then Untung has become the most wanted fugitive in Indonesia.

Luckily, he managed to escape after the G30S incident was extinguished. He tried to hide somewhere, which in his mind came from far from Jakarta. At first, Untung's journey ran smoothly. Everything changed when Untung decided to take a bus from Tegal to Semarang.

In fact, this option became the estuary of Untung's failure to escape. He was sad. An hansip saw Untung's behavior like a pickpocket. Fortunately, those who felt suspected, especially since he was wanted by the state immediately jumped out of the bus and fell.

Fortunately, the whole bus shouted at the thief. The former Commander of Battalion I Tjakrabirawa became the target of the anger of the residents. Fortunately, it was checked. However, there is no evidence that he had stolen something, even though the original identity was known.

Fortunately, the authorities immediately arrested him. This condition made Untung surrender to be brought to the Court of the Extraordinary Military Court (Mahmilub) in Jakarta in early 1966. He was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Told on October 11, 1965, Untung was riding a bus from Tegal to Semarang. An hansip who was riding the same bus, was suspicious of Untung's behavior and considered him a pickpocket.

"The principle is approaching its target and finding someone in front of him is a figure who is currently a fugitive from the state. Lt. Col. Untung Syamsuri must accept the fact that his escape must end because an hansip who accidentally falls in one dimension of space and the same time as him," said Dhianita Kusuma Pertiwi in the book Regarding the New Order (2021).