History 10 March 1965: MacDonald House Singapore Bombed By KKO Soldiers, Usman And Harun

The condition of the MacDonald House Building on Orchard Road, Singapore in 2018. On March 10, 1965 this building was bombed by Usman and Harun. (Photo: Wikipedia)

JAKARTA – Historically, on March 10, 1965, the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank building was bombed on Orchard Road, Singapore. The bombing was carried out by two Indonesian Marine Corps (KKO) soldiers, Usman Janatin and Harun Tohir. The 10-storey building was known as the MacDonald House, which at that time was the most prestigious office building in Singapore.

The bombing of MacDonald House was the culmination of a series of bomb attacks recorded 37 times in the period 1963-1966. Indonesia strongly opposed the formation of the Federated States of Malaya on August 31, 1957, which eventually became Malaysia on September 16, 1963. President Soekarno considered that the formation of Malaysia was only a form of British neocolonialism.

Usman and Harun after being caught in Singapore and being buried at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, Jakarta. (Photo: newspapermilitary.com)

Soekarno expressed his hatred for Malaysia by initiating the Crush Malaysia movement.

"Hit and brush, don't let our land and air be trampled by that bastard Malaysia. Pray for me, I will go to the battlefield as a patriot of the nation, as a martyr of the nation, and as a bullet for a nation that does not want to be trampled on by its pride. Call out to all corners of the country that we will unite to fight this humiliation. We will repay this treatment and we will show that we still have strong teeth and we still have dignity,” Soekarno said in his fiery speech.

Random Goal

One of the sabotage attacks against Malaysia was the bombing operation in Singapore, which at that time was still part of the Federation of Malaysia. Three marines were deployed: Usman, Harun, and Gani bin Arup. They entered Singapore disguised as civilians, but brought with them a 12 kg nitro glycerin bomb.

The three Marines were actually trained to bomb strategic targets, namely public facilities such as power plants, clean water treatment, and military installations. However, the mission to bomb the target was a failure, due to very tight security from the police and military.

Usman, Harun, and Gani end up switching targets randomly, bombing anything indiscriminately. The main purpose of their operation is to create panic in Singapore.

Inside condition of MacDonald House after the bombing on March 10, 1965. (Photo: A Government Singapore Agency Website)

The target was finally shifted to the MacDonald House which is the most prestigious building. The bomb exploded at 15:07 Singapore time, and claimed the lives of three people. They are Suzie Choo (36 years) who is the Secretary Manager of the Shanghai Hong Kong Bank, Juliet Goh (23 years) a bank staff, and Mohammed Yasin bin Kesit (45 years) a driver. Choo and Goh died instantly, while Yasin died after being in a coma and undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The bomb attack also injured at least 33 people who were in the vicinity of MacDonald House.

Explode Faster

The Straits Times newspaper of March 11, 1965 carried a report on the MacDonald House bombing on page 1 as the main story.

"There would have been more deaths or injuries had the bomb gone off 10 minutes later," The Straits Times reported.

These hours become afternoon breaks for employees around Orchard Road, which is the busiest business district in Singapore. They usually pass by just to buy snacks or drink tea around MacDonald House.

The Straits Times also quoted comments from Singapore's Deputy Prime, Toh Chin Chye, who strongly condemned the bombings.

“This incident is a series of explosions that occurred last year. This outrageous atrocity will not solve any political problems. Whoever protects those responsible for these actions, must take full responsibility for the blood that was spilled," Chye said.

Caught and Sentenced to Death

After completing the bombing task, Usman, Harun, and Gani tried to escape from Singapore. But their escape did not go smoothly. In just four days, Usman and Harun were caught by the Singaporean authorities. They failed to escape by sea, after the motorboat they were using was damaged. Both were caught while drifting in the ocean. Meanwhile, Gani managed to escape because he went through a different escape route.

Usman and Harun were tried in a civilian court, because when they acted they did not wear military attributes. After being found guilty, both were sentenced to death. Usman and Must be executed by hanging in Changi Prison on October 17, 1968.

Usman-Harun warship hull number 359. (Photo: Doc. Puspen TNI)

The bodies of Usman and Harun were returned to Indonesia, and buried in the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, Jakarta on October 20, 1968. President Suharto issued Presidential Decree No. 050/TK/Year 1968 on October 17, 1968, which contained the recognition of the two Marines as National Heroes.

In 2014, Usman and Harun were immortalized as the names of one of the corvette-class warships owned by the Indonesian Navy. The ship is named Usman-Harun with hull number 359. In addition, Usman-Harun is also used as a street name in the Tugu Tani area, Central Jakarta. The inauguration of Jalan Prajurit KKO Usman & Harun was held on January 19, 2016.