Indonesia's Suharto Dies at Age 86

Corrupt, cruel--and fondly remembered

(NEWSER) - The death of Suharto, Indonesia's ferociously anti-communist dictator for more than 30 years, leaves islanders ambivalent: On the one hand, he created economic prosperity; on the other, he enriched himself and his cronies, and brutally suppressed opponents, leaving hundreds of thousands imprisoned or dead. "He was 50% good and 50% bad," a historian tells the Christian Science Monitor. More»

Former dictator's sins take backseat as nation grieves

(NEWSER) - Suharto's critics kept quiet today as Indonesia mourned the former dictator on the streets and around TVs, the New York Times reports. Crowds swarmed an ambulance transporting his body, television channels ran nostalgic accounts of his life, and President Susilo Yudhoyono called on the nation to pray for Suharto, saying, "Pray that the deceased’s good deeds and dedication to the nation be may accepted by God the Almighty." More»

Former Indonesian dictator takes critical turn for the worse

(NEWSER) - Longtime Indonesian dictator Suharto's health worsened yesterday as he suffered multiple organ failure. Suharto's condition improved slightly as workers rushed to prepare for what they believed to be his imminent funeral, AFP reports. Suharto, 86, was forced from power a decade ago after ruling Indonesia with an iron fist for three decades. More»

(NEWSER) - Time must pay former Indonesian dictator Suharto $106 million over a 1999 article that defamed him, that country's highest court ruled today. The ruling, over a story that claimed Suharto stole some $73 billion during his bloody rule that spanned four decades, comes after lower courts twice ruled in Time's favor, the AP reports. More»

Lana Peters defected from Soviet Union in 1967

(NEWSER) - Josef Stalin's only daughter has died in Wisconsin at the age of 85. Lana Peters—born Svetlana Alliluyeva Stalin—handed the US a massive Cold War publicity coup when she defected to the US in 1967, publicly burning her Soviet passport, and declaring: "I have come here to seek the self-expression that has been denied me for so long in Russia." A memoir she published soon after arriving in the US, in which she described her father as distant and paranoid, became a best-seller. More»