Sutoyo Siswomiharjo: The Life and Sacrifice of a G30S Hero

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Major General TNI (Posthumous) Sutoyo Siswomiharjo was a senior Indonesian Army officer who was killed during the 30 September Movement, known as G30S, in 1965. He was later declared one of Indonesia’s Heroes of Revolution.

Sutoyo was born and raised in Kebumen, Central Java. According to records from the Ministry of Education and Culture, he completed his education before the Japanese occupation in 1942. During the Japanese occupation, Sutoyo studied government administration in Jakarta and later worked as a government employee in Purworejo. He resigned from his position in 1944 for personal reasons.

After Indonesia gained independence in 1945, Sutoyo joined the People's Security Army, or TKR, which later developed into part of the Indonesian Army structure. His military career continued to advance, and in 1946 he was appointed aide-de-camp to Colonel Gatot Subroto.

In 1954, Sutoyo served as Chief of Staff at the Military Police Headquarters for two years. He was later assigned as Assistant Military Attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in London.

In 1959, Sutoyo attended the Indonesian Army Command and General Staff College in Bandung. After completing his studies, he served as Inspector of Army Judiciary. His experience in the legal field later supported his appointment as Inspector of Military Judiciary and Chief Military Prosecutor in 1961.

Sutoyo’s career came to an end in the early hours of 1 October 1965, when he became one of the Indonesian Army officers targeted by the 30 September Movement. The group arrived at his residence on Jalan Sumenep in Menteng, Central Jakarta, and entered through the garage beside the house.

Members of the group then took the house key from Sutoyo’s housekeeper and entered the residence. They told Sutoyo that he had been summoned by President Soekarno. Sutoyo was subsequently taken by the group to the Lubang Buaya area in East Jakarta.

At Lubang Buaya, Sutoyo was killed and his body was thrown into an old well together with the bodies of several other officers. His body was found on 4 October 1965, several days after the incident.

Following his death, Sutoyo was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major General and awarded the title of Revolutionary Hero by the Indonesian government. His name has since been remembered as one of the military officers who became part of Indonesia’s important military and political history in 1965.