Try Sutrisno facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Try Sutrisno
Official portrait, 1993
6th Vice President of Indonesia
In office 11 March 1993 – 11 March 1998
President	Suharto
Preceded by	Sudharmono
Succeeded by	B. J. Habibie
9th Commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia
In office 27 February 1988 – 19 February 1993
President	Suharto
Preceded by	General Benny Moerdani
Succeeded by	General Edi Sudradjat [id]
15th Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army
In office 7 June 1986 – 2 February 1988
President	Suharto
Preceded by	General Rudini [id]
Succeeded by	General Edi Sudradjat
Personal details
Born	(1935-11-15) 15 November 1935 (age 89) Soerabaja, Dutch East Indies
Political party	PKP
Other political affiliations	Golkar (1993–1999)
Spouse	Tuti Sutiawati ​ (m. 1961)​
Alma mater	Army Technical Academy
Occupation	Politician army officer
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Indonesia
Branch/service	Indonesian Army
Years of service	1959–1993
Rank	General
Unit	Engineers
Commands	Kodam XVI/Udayana Kodam IV/Sriwijaya Kodam V/Jayakarta Indonesian Armed Forces
Battles/wars	See list PRRI rebellion Operation 17 Agustus West New Guinea dispute Operation Trikora Operation Dwikora Insurgency in East Timor Insurgency in Aceh
Service no.	18438

Try Sutrisno (born 15 November 1935) is a retired army general from Indonesia. He served as the sixth vice president of Indonesia from 1993 to 1998. Try Sutrisno was born in Surabaya, which was then part of the Dutch East Indies. He graduated from the Army Technical Academy in 1959. During his impressive career, he held important roles. These included Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army from 1986 to 1988. He also served as the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces from 1988 to 1993.

Early Life and Education

Try Sutrisno was born on 15 November 1935 in Surabaya. His father, Subandi, worked as an ambulance driver. His mother, Mardiyah, was a housewife. After Indonesia declared its independence in 1945, a war for freedom began. Try and his family moved from Surabaya to Mojokerto for safety.

His father became a medical officer for an army group. Because of this, Try had to stop school for a while. He helped his family by selling cigarettes and newspapers. When he was 13, Try wanted to join the army and fight. He was too young, so he became a messenger instead. His job was to gather information about areas controlled by the Dutch Army. He also helped get medicine for the Indonesian Army.

In 1949, the Dutch left Indonesia and recognized its independence. Try and his family returned to Surabaya. He finished his education there in 1956. After high school, Try wanted to join the Army Technical Academy (Atekad). He passed the written test but failed the physical one. However, a general named Djatikoesoemo saw potential in Try. He called him back for another chance. Try passed a psychology test and was accepted into the academy.

Military Career Highlights

First Military Experiences

Try's first military action was in 1957. He fought against the PRRI Rebellion in Sumatra. This group wanted to create a different government. Try finished his military training in 1959. He became a second lieutenant in the Indonesian Army.

He gained early experience in different parts of Indonesia. These included Sumatra, Jakarta, and East Java. In 1972, Try attended the Army Staff College (Seskoad). Two years later, in 1974, he was chosen to be President Suharto's adjutant. An adjutant is like a personal assistant. President Suharto liked Try, and this helped his military career grow quickly.

Leading Regional Commands

In 1978, Try became the Chief of Staff for the KODAM XVI/Udayana region. A year later, he became the Regional Commander of KODAM IV/Sriwijaya. This was where he had started his career. As commander, he worked to reduce crime and stop illegal lead smuggling. He also helped with an environmental project. This project aimed to return Sumatran elephants to their natural homes.

Commander in Jakarta and Challenges

In 1982, Try was appointed Regional Commander of KODAM V/Jaya. This important role placed him in charge of the military in Jakarta.

In 1984, the government passed a law. This law required all organizations to follow the national idea of Pancasila. Some religious leaders disagreed with this law. They also spoke against other government policies.

On 7 September 1984, a soldier named Sgt. Hermanu saw leaflets at a mosque. These leaflets encouraged women to wear the hijab, which went against a government policy. Hermanu asked for the leaflets to be removed, but they were not. The next day, he covered them with dirty papers. A rumor spread that he had disrespected the mosque. This made many people angry, and Hermanu's motorbike was burned. Four young people were arrested for burning the motorbike.

Protests began, asking for the release of the four youths. Preachers used the situation to speak against the government. On 12 September 1984, a crowd in Tanjung Priok started attacking shops. They also went towards a military office. Try Sutrisno and the military commander, Benny Moerdani, decided to send troops. The riot continued, and the soldiers said the crowd did not listen to warnings. The troops were forced to open fire. The government reported that 28 people died. This event was a difficult part of Try's career.

Rising to Army Chief

Try's career continued to advance. In 1985, he became the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army. Then, in 1986, he became the Chief of Staff of the Army. In this role, Try started a program called Badan TWP TNI-AD. This program helped army members get loans to buy their own homes.

Leading the Armed Forces

In 1988, Try reached the highest point in his military career. He was appointed Commander of the ABRI. As ABRI Commander, Try worked to stop rebellions across Indonesia. He successfully dealt with separatists in Aceh by 1992. In 1989, there was another incident called the Talangsari incident. Try again took strong action against protesters.

In November 1991, in East Timor, students held a funeral for a friend. This friend had been shot by Indonesian troops. The students used the funeral to protest against Indonesian control. They carried banners asking for independence. As they entered the cemetery, Indonesian troops opened fire. Many people were killed or injured.

This event, known as the Santa Cruz massacre, caused anger worldwide. Try Sutrisno spoke about it two days later. He said the army had to act because the protesters were causing trouble. He defended his decision to the People's Representative Council (DPR). Try was discharged from his position as ABRI Commander in February 1993.

Vice Presidency (1993–1998)

Try Sutrisno taking his oath as Vice President on 11 March 1993

In February 1993, members of the military in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) nominated Try Sutrisno for vice president. This happened just before the MPR was set to choose a new president and vice president. Usually, the president would choose his preferred candidate first.

However, the military members put Try's name forward. Other political parties quickly supported his nomination. President Suharto was reportedly unhappy that the military had acted before him. But he did not want an open disagreement. So, Suharto accepted Try Sutrisno as his vice president.

The military had wanted to choose the vice president. They had been unhappy in 1988 when Suharto chose someone they did not like. It was thought that Suharto might have chosen B. J. Habibie or Sudharmono if he had made the choice himself.

Even though Try became vice president, Suharto showed his displeasure. He kept the number of military members in his cabinet very low. Suharto also did not ask Try for his opinion when forming the cabinet. In late 1997, when Suharto went to Germany for health treatment, he did not leave Try in charge. Instead, he asked his State Secretary to handle presidential duties.

After Vice Presidency (1998–Present)

In May 1998, just before President Suharto stepped down, Try Sutrisno met with him. They discussed possible options for the country.

In 1998, Try was chosen to lead the ABRI Veterans' Union (Pepabri). He successfully kept the union united. He finished his term in this role in 2003. Try also served as an elder for the Justice and Unity Party.

In August 2005, Try joined a group called the National Awakening to Unity Movement. This group included other important figures like Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Sukarnoputri. They criticized the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. They disagreed with a peace agreement made with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). In September 2005, they also criticized the decision to raise fuel prices.

Try later softened his stance after meeting with Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Kalla explained the government's reasons for its policies. After the meeting, Try said he understood the government's position. He encouraged people to support the government's decisions.

Family Life

Try Sutrisno is married to Tuti Sutiawati. They have seven children together: four sons and three daughters.

Awards and Honors

Try Sutrisno has received many awards for his service.

National Awards

• Star of the Republic of Indonesia, 2nd Class
• Star of Mahaputera, 1st Class
• Star of Meritorious Service
• Grand Meritorious Military Order Star, 1 Class
• Army Meritorious Service Star, 1 Class
• Navy Meritorious Service Star, 1 Class
• Air Force Meritorious Service Star, 1 Class
• Star of Bhayangkara, 1st Class

International Awards

•  Austria
  • Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash (1996)
•  Brunei:
  • First Class of the Order of Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang
•  France:
  • Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour
•  Germany:
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
•  Malaysia:
  • Honorary Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (1988)
  • Courageous Commander of the Most Gallant Order of Military Service (1988)
    •  Johor
      • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Crown of Johor
•  Netherlands
  • Decoration of Merit in gold
•  Pakistan
  • Nishan-e-Imtiaz
•  Philippines
  • Commander of the Philippine Legion of Honor
•  Singapore
  • Recipient of the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) (1991)
•  South Korea
  • Tongil Medal of the Order of National Security Merit, 1st Class
•  Thailand
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (1991)
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (1986)
•  United States
  • Commander of the Legion of Merit