Harun Thohir

Second Corporal Harun Thohir or Harun bin Said (birth name Tahir bin Mandar; 4 April 1943 – 17 October 1968) was an Indonesian sailor born in Bawean Island, East Java, on 4 April 1943 to Mahdar and Aswiyani, while another source stated that he was born on 14 April 1943.

He was one of a three-member special forces team part of the Indonesian Marine Corps (the others being Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali, alias "Janatin" and Gani bin Arup) who carried out the MacDonald House bombing in Singapore, during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, that killed three civilians. Following his capture, he was hanged for murder. The false name of "Harun bin Said" was given by Harun's team leader Captain Paulus Subekti.

Early military career Harun joined the Indonesian Marines in June 1964 and after five months training in Riau, he was promoted to lance corporal in 1965 and assigned to the Brahma Team I with Base II-A, in Riau, under the Supreme High Command (KOTI). The team leader was Captain Paulus Subekti.

The team detonated a 12-kilogram high explosive, placed inside a blue traveling bag, inside the MacDonald House at 3:07 pm local time on 10 March 1965, killing three civilians, a Malay Muslim driver (Muhammad Yasin Kesit) and two Chinese women (Elizabeth Susie Choo Kay Hoi and Juliet Goh Hwee Kuang), who were office staff of a bank.

Capture and conviction

After completing their mission, both men tried to stow away out of Singapore on a cargo ship, but were told to get off after being identified as stowaways. They then stole a boat and headed out towards Batam. However, the boat either encountered an accident or sunk, as they were later found by a traditional cargo ship at around 8.00am, floating clinging to a piece of wood. Usman and Harun were transferred to a Singapore marine police boat, on 13 March 1965, where they claimed that they were a fisherman and farmer but later confessed to the bombing of the MacDonald House.

In court, both men were represented by Francis Seow, Senior Crown Counsel, who stated that they were "mercenary soldiers" and were paid S$350 (about US$280) to carry out their assignment. The two were hanged in Changi Prison, Singapore, on 17 October 1968. Their bodies were flown back to Jakarta, and buried in the Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery, Jakarta on 20 October 1968.

National hero status Both of them were honored as National Heroes of Indonesia by President Suharto through Presidential Decree SK Presiden RI No.050/TK/Tahun 1968, on 17 October 1968, the same day they were hanged.

Harun Thohir Airport Bawean Airport, also known as Harun Thohir Airport, is located on Bawean island, Gresik regency, East Java. It was officially opened by minister of transportation Ignasius Jonan on 30 January 2016.