Charles Tambu

Charles Tambu (1907-1965) was a representative of the Indonesian government in international diplomacy even though he was not a native Indonesian by descent. He is best known for being one of Indonesia's representatives at the UN security session held on August 14, 1947, together with Soedjatmoko, Soemitro Djojohadikusumo, Sutan Sjahrir, H. Agus Salim, and L. N. Palar. [1]

Charles Tambu
Charles Tambu as Indonesian Consul in Manila.
Born1907
British Ceylon (today Sri Lanka)
Died1965
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
NationalityIndonesian
Occupation(s)Politician, diplomat

Biography

According to various literacies, Charles Tambu was born in 1907 in British Ceylon (today Sri Lanka). Charles Tambu was of Tamil descent. The arrival of Charles Tambu went to the Dutch East Indies because he joined his father and mother who migrated in search of a better life.[2] Although he is not a native Indonesian, he has defended the name of Indonesia in various international forums.

In the Merdeka magazine entitled, " Charles Tambu: Turunan Asing Tapi Djiwanya Indonesia", (No. 43, th. II, October 22, 1949) mentions Charles Tambu, a former illegal immigrant from Sri Lanka, who steadfastly and sincerely defended Indonesian sovereignty at the United Nations in 1947.

Charles Tambu's struggle at the United Nations to defend the newly independent Indonesian government on August 17, 1945, resulted in the awarding of a free Indonesian passport from President Sukarno. After the recognition of Indonesian sovereignty by the Dutch in 1949, Tambu was appointed by President Sukarno to be the Indonesian Consul General in Manila until 1953.[3]

After his stint as Indonesia’s Consul General to Manila, Charles Tambu returned back to Indonesia and took up the appointment as editor-in-chief of the country’s first English-language newspaper, the ‘Times of Indonesia’. Tambu’s former co-worker Mochtar Lubis was instrumental in setting up this newspaper in 1952 and was himself the editor-in-chief of ‘Indonesia Raya’. [4]

However, following the PRRI/Permesta affair, a rebel movement in Indonesia, both the newspapers were deemed unfit for publication. After that, life became more challenging and Charles Tambu disappeared from historical records. Later, he is known to have relocated to Kuala Lumpur, where he remained until his death in 1965.

  • Charles Tambu at the UN Security Council session at Lake Sukses 1947. (Charles Tambu is next to Sumitro Djojohadikusumo)
    Charles Tambu at the UN Security Council session at Lake Sukses 1947. (Charles Tambu is next to Sumitro Djojohadikusumo)

References
  1. Subroto, Lukman Hadi (2022-04-23). Ningsih, Widya Lestari (ed.). "Delegasi Indonesia di Sidang Dewan Keamanan PBB Tahun 1947". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  2. Muhammad, Erik (2022-11-22). "Profil Charles Tambu, Diplomat Indonesia di PBB Asal Srilanka". Harapan Rakyat (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  3. Suryadi (2016-08-16). "Hikayat Arcandra Tahar dan Charles Tambu". KOMPASIANA (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2022-05-11.
  4. Zahrotul, Agustina (2022-11-09). "Charles Tambu: A Tamil-descendent who became an Indonesian diplomat". Global Madras. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
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