Supriyadi


Supriyadi, older spelling Soeprijadi, was an Indonesian national hero who rebelled against the occupying Japanese in 1945.

Early life

Supriyadi was born in what is now Trenggalek, Dutch East Indies, on 13 April 1923. He attended junior high school, then a school to prepare him for government bureaucracy in Magelang. However, the Japanese invaded Indonesia before he graduated. He then switched to high school and underwent youth training in Tangerang, West Java.

Involvement with PETA

In October 1943, the Japanese established a militia, PETA to assist Japanese forces against the Allies. Supriyadi joined PETA, and after training was posted to Blitar. He was tasked with overseeing the work of the Romusha forced laborers. The plight of these workers inspired him to rebel against the Japanese. When Supriyadi join with PETA, he was given the rank of shodancho or platoon commander.

The Blitar rebellion

When nationalist leader Sukarno visited his parents in Blitar, PETA officers told him that they had begun to plan a rebellion and asked for Sukarno's opinion. He told them to consider the consequences, but Supriyadi, leader of the rebels, was convinced the uprising would succeed.
In the early hours of 14 February 1945, rebels attacked Japanese troops, causing heavy casualties. However, the Japanese defeated the rebellion and put the ringleaders on trial. Six people were sentenced to death and the rest were given jail sentences ranging from three years to life. However, Supriyadi reportedly was not executed. Some said Supriyadi escaped and hid from the Japanese. He was not seen again after the failure of the rebellion.

Disappearance

On 19 August 1945, in a government decree issued by the newly independent Indonesia, Supriyadi was named Minister for Public Security in the Presidential Cabinet. However, he failed to appear, and was replaced on 20 October by acting minister Muhammad Soeljoadikusuma. To this day his fate remains unknown. If he was alive during his appointment and took the office, he would have been aged 22 and became the youngest ever minister in the nation's history.
He was officially declared a National Hero on 9 August 1975, thus legally declaring him dead as the National Hero title is only given posthumously.