Indonesia's former president Suharto dies

By Telly Nathalia

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's former president Suharto, whose legacy of economic development was marred by graft and human rights abuses during his 32 years in power, died on Sunday, aged 86, after suffering multiple organ failure.

"I invite all the people of Indonesia to pray that may the deceased's good deeds and dedication to the nation be accepted by Allah the almighty. And to the family who are left behind, may Allah give them strength to face this trial," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in a statement.

"Mr Suharto has done a great service to the nation."

Suharto had been in critical condition in hospital since January 4. Despite his humiliating overthrow in 1998, many of the region's leaders and Indonesia's elite had rushed to his bedside to pay their respects as he lay dying.

Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysia's former leader Mahathir Mohamad flew to Jakarta to see him, paying tribute to Suharto's role in bringing stability to the region, particularly during the Cold War period.

But Suharto's sudden illness also prompted many ordinary Indonesians across the archipelago to debate his legacy.

Some argued he should be pardoned, while others urged the state to press ahead with a civil suit against him for graft and to consider legal proceedings for human rights abuses.

"The civil suit must be suspended ... and now the prosecutors must deal with the family to sort it out," said Mohammad Assegaf, one of Suharto's lawyers.

A spokesman for the Attorney-General's office said it was not appropriate to discuss the matter given Suharto's death.

Indonesia ordered flags to be flown at half mast and declared a seven-day mourning period.

MIXED FEELINGS

While some Indonesians look back on the Suharto era with nostalgia, others have called for the former general and his family to be brought to justice.

"There are many people, thousands of people who lost their parents, their fathers, their mothers, and I think they need justice," Usman Hamid of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violance (Kontras), told Reuters Television.

Members of Suharto's family had gathered at the Pertamina hospital in Jakarta where he was being treated after his health deteriorated suddenly.

"We, the whole family, thank everyone who has prayed for our father," said Suharto's eldest daughter Siti Hadijanti Rukmana, also known as Tutut, sobbing during a news conference.