Supriyadi | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Supriyadi,c. 1940 | |
| 1st Minister of People's Security | |
| In office 19 August 1945 – 20 October 1945 | |
| President | Sukarno |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by |
|
| Commander of the People's Security Forces | |
| In office 5 October 1945 – 12 November 1945 | |
| President | Sukarno |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Lt. Gen.Sudirman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1923-04-13)13 April 1923 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | |
| Branch/service | Defenders of the Homeland |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank | Platoon commander |
| Commands |
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | National Hero of Indonesia (posthumous, 1975) |
| Disappeared | 14 February 1945(1945-02-14) (aged 21) Blitar,Japanese East Indies |
| Status | Declared deadin absentia9 August 1975 |
Fransiskus Xaverius Soeprijadi,[1] also known asSupriyadi orSoeprijadi (born 13 April 1923 – disappeared 14 February 1945,declared dead 9 August 1975), was an Indonesiannational hero who rebelled against theoccupying Japanese in 1945.
Supriyadi was born inTrenggalek on 13 April 1923. He attended junior high school, then a training school for civil service inMagelang. However, theJapanese invaded Indonesia before he graduated. He then switched to high school and underwent youth training (Seimendoyo) inTangerang,West Java.[2]
In October 1943, the Japanese established a militia,PETA (Indonesian:Pembela Tanah Air,lit. 'Defenders of the Homeland') to assist Japanese forces against the Allies. Supriyadi joined PETA, and after training was posted toBlitar. He was tasked with overseeing the work of theRomusha forced laborers. The plight of these workers inspired him to rebel against the Japanese. When Supriyadi joined PETA, he was given the rank ofshodancho or platoon commander.
When nationalist leaderSukarno 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 eight[3]) people were sentenced to death and the rest were given jail sentences ranging from three years to life. However, Supriyadi reportedly was not executed. Some said Supriyadi escaped and hid from the Japanese.[2][4] He was not seen again after the failure of the rebellion.[5]
On 19 August 1945, in a government decree issued by the newly independent Indonesia, Supriyadi was namedMinister for Public Security in thePresidential Cabinet. However, he failed to appear, and was replaced on 20 October by acting minister Muhammad Suliyoadikusumo. To this day his fate remains unknown.[2][6]
Numerous sightings before his disappearance had been reported. Ronomejo akamituwo of Ngliman village in Nganjuk reportedly accompanied Supriyadi to his hiding place in a cave near Sedudo waterfall. However, when Supriyadi's father, Damardi visited the place he already left. According to M. Nakajima, director of Taisei International Corporation, Supriyadi and his two companions stayed for a day in his place in Salatiga around February and March 1945, but then left before Kenpeitai from Semarang arrived.[7]
If he was alive during his appointment and took the office, he would have been aged 22 and became the youngest ever minister in the nation's history. He was officially bestowed the title ofNational Hero on 9 August 1975, thuslegally declaring him dead as the title is only given posthumously.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
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