Yapto Soerjosoemarno

Yapto Soelistyo Soerjosoemarno is an Indonesian politician who is known as the leader of Pancasila Youth, an organization of quasi-official political gangsters that supported the New Order military dictatorship of Soeharto, while also engaging in other lucrative but non-official criminal acts.[1] Pancasila Youth played an important role in supporting Soeharto's military coup in 1965: they ran death squads for the Indonesian army, murdering thousands of alleged communists across the province of North Sumatra.

Yapto Soelistio Soerjosoemarno
Born
KPH H. Yapto Soelistio Soerjosoemarno SH.

(1949-12-16) December 16, 1949
Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
Occupation(s)Politician, lawyer
Years active1965–present
SpouseRetno Suciati
Parent(s)Ir. KPN. Soetarjo Soerjosoemarno
Dolly Zegerius
RelativesMarini Soerjosoemarno (older sister)

Early life

He was born 16 December 1949, in Surakarta, Central Java. His father, Ir. KPN. Soetarjo Soerjosoemarno, is a member of the Mangkunegaran Javanese nobility. Soerjosoemarno is also an expert in topography and geodesy who finished his education at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. His mother, Dolly Zegerius, who was of Jewish Dutch origin was a competitive contract bridge player, and a naturalised Indonesian citizen

Career

Yapto Soerjosoemarno is known as the leader of Pancasila Youth, an organization of semi-official political gangsters that supported the New Order military dictatorship of Soeharto. Pancasila Youth played an important role in supporting Soeharto's military coup in 1965: they ran death squads for the Indonesian army, murdering thousands of alleged communists and Chinese Indonesians across the province of North Sumatra. The leaders of these death squads, Effendy Nasution, Jan Pahrum Lubis, Roshiman and others selected Yapto to lead Pancasila Youth in 1980. In addition to leading Pancasila Youth, Yapto today leads a political party formally affiliated with Pancasila Youth called the Patriot Party.[2] The Patriot Party is known for its loyalty to the family of former Indonesian President, the late General Suharto. He is also a lawyer and owns a law firm in South Jakarta, Indonesia.

Yapto also heads other 'youth gangs'.[3]

On 12 March 2011, Yapto received a bomb disguised as a book named Apakah Masih Ada Pancasila (Does the Pancasila still exist?).[4]

Yapto featured in the award-winning 2012 documentary The Act of Killing, in which he is shown as a wealthy and misogynistic he-man.[1] He has threatened to sue the film's director or producers.[1]

Personal life

Yapto married Retno Suciati and has three children: Golda Nayawitri B.D.K, Sahid Abishalom B.N.N.S,[5] and Jedidiah Shenazar K.S. The Soerjosoemarno family includes several performers: Yapto's elder sister Marini is an actress, and his niece Shelomita (Marini's daughter) is a singer. Both he and his family have had frequent brushes with the law and have been detained.[6][7][8]

References
  1. Bachelard, Michael (2012-11-23). "Filmmaker fears reprisals for exposé on mass murders". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  2. "Elections Commission told to respond to political parties' complaints". Antara. Jakarta. 11 April 2004. p. 1.
  3. Youth Gangs and Otherwise in Indonesia Archived 2012-06-17 at the Wayback Machine; RYTER, Loren, University of Michigan; presented at the Global Gangs Workshop, 14–15 May 2009
  4. "Bomb for Yapto disguised as book on Pancasila". Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  5. "Seven people questioned over Sunday's gang murders". The Jakarta Post. Jakarta. 28 March 2000. p. 1.
  6. Not found at the Wayback Machine (archived 25 February 2014)
  7. "Seven people questioned over Sunday's gang murders". Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  8. "Downtown bar gang clash leaves 2 dead". Retrieved 3 February 2016.
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