Omar Dani

Omar Dani in the Netherlands in 1965

Air Marshal Omar Dani (January 23, 1924 – July 24, 2009) was commander of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) from 1962 until 1965. He was a leading leftist figure in Indonesia during the Sukarno era.

Dani first worked on a plantation, then at the government radio station, in the ministry of information, and then in a bank. He enrolled in the Air Force Academy in 1950, and in 1956, attended the Royal Air Force Staff College, Andover in Great Britain. He rose through the ranks to become Minister and Commander of the Air Force in January 1962. His support for Sukarno, and his apparent support for the 30 September Movement in 1965 was his undoing. Shortly after the downfall of President Sukarno, he was arrested and sent to prison by the new government led by Suharto.^[1]

In 1995, he was pardoned, released from jail and became one of the main sources for research into the Air Force's role during the 1965 coup. He died on July 24, 2009, at the age of 85. He is buried at Jeruk Purut Cemetery in South Jakarta.^[2]

References

1. Soerodjo, Benedicta and Soeparno, JMV (2001), Tuhan, Pergunakanlah Hati, Pikiran dan Tanganku—Pledoi Omar Dani (God, Use My Heart, Mind and Hands—Omar Dani's Testimony), PT Media Lintas Inti Nusantara, Jakarta, ISBN 979-8933-32-X, p. 140
2. • "Former Air Force chief Omar Dhani dies at 85". The Jakarta Post (Jakarta). 24 July 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2011.