World leaders praise stability Suharto gave Indonesia

JAKARTA (Reuters) - World leaders on Sunday praised the late Indonesian president Suharto for the stability and growth he brought to the region but said serious rights abuses marred his long rule.

The former general, 86 when he died on Sunday, ruled with an iron fist for 32 years, allowing rapid development and holding together the diverse nation.

But his time in power, which ended in 1998 after mass protests, also witnessed corruption, massacres and human rights abuses, particularly in separatist hot spots such as Papua and East Timor.

"Former President Suharto was one of the longest-serving heads of government of the last century and an influential figure in Australia's region and beyond," Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said in a statement.

"The former president was also a controversial figure in respect of human rights and East Timor and many have disagreed with his approach," said Rudd, who praised Suharto for modernizing Indonesia and his efforts to forge a united region.

"Singapore would like to convey our deepest sympathies to the Indonesian people for their profound loss," a spokesman from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said via email.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia, another Muslim nation in the region, said Suharto's death was a great loss to both countries.

"We pray to Allah to bless Pak Harto's soul and to place him among the blessed," Abdullah told reporters, using the popular name for Suharto.

STABILITY, SUFFERING

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, 82, whose time in office overlapped Suharto's for nearly two decades, told the Bernama state news agency: "I regarded him as a friend of Malaysia and as a personal friend.

"Even though Indonesia was not an ideal democracy during Suharto's time, the fact remained that he brought stability to Indonesia. Of course, there is a price to be paid," Mahathir said, acknowledging that some people had suffered under Suharto's administration.

Mahathir said his country was indebted to Suharto for his role in ending the Indonesian "Confrontation" against Malaysia.

Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, had declared a "Confrontation" against Malaysia in 1964, which then included Singapore along with the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak.

Sukarno believed all of Borneo belonged to Indonesia and announced his intention to arm a million leftist peasants and workers to do battle with Malaysia.

Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said: "Under Suharto's rule, Indonesia experienced a period of relative stability. The economy grew strongly, notably in the 1980s. After he stepped down, Indonesia democratically chose a new leader. That confirms that Indonesia is a democratic country where the people have the last word."

The Netherlands is Indonesia's former colonial master.