Famous Indonesian

Ruslan Abdulgani (November 24, 1914, Surabaya — June 29, 2005, Jakarta) his first name is also spelled Roeslan) was an Indonesian government official and diplomat known for his role as a leader during the Indonesian National Revolution in the late 1940s, and as a key minister and United Nations ambassador in the Sukarno government during the 1950s and 1960s.

Tuanku Imam Bonjol (also Muhammad Shahab) (1772 – November 6, 1864), was a hero in the Indonesian struggle against Dutch rule. He was born in the village of Tanjung Bunga in the Pasaman regency of West Sumatra. His father's name was Buya Nudin. He was immersed in Islamic studies as he grew up, studying first from his father and later under various other Muslim theologians.

After founding the state of Bonjol, Syarif became involved in the Adat/Paderi controversy as a Paderi leader. The Paderi movement, which has been compared to the Wahhabi school of Islam in Saudi Arabia, was an effort to return the Islam of the area to the purity of its roots by removing local distortions like gambling, cockfighting, the use of opium and strong drink, tobacco, and so forth. It also opposed the powerful role of women in the matrilineal Minangkabau culture. The Adat, or traditionalist, position was that local custom that pre-dated the arrival of Islam should also be respected and followed.

Feeling their leadership position threatened, the traditionalists appealed to the Dutch for help in their struggle against the Paderis. At first, the Dutch were not able to win militarily against the Paderis because their resources were stretched thin by the Diponegoro resistance in Java. In 1824, the Dutch signed the Masang Agreement ending hostilities with the state of Bonjol.

Subsequently, however, once the Diponegoro resistance was suppressed, the Dutch attacked the state of Pandai Sikat in a renewed effort to gain control of West Sumatra. Despite valiant fighting by the Indonesians (by this time the traditionalists had realized they didn't want to be ruled by the Dutch either and had joined forces with the Paderis in their resistance), the overwhelming power of the Dutch military eventually prevailed. Syarif was captured in 1832 but escaped after three months to continue the struggle from his tiny fortress in Bonjol.

After three years of siege, the Dutch finally managed to sack Bonjol on August 16, 1837. Through a negotiation ruse, the Dutch again captured Syarif and exiled him, first to Cianjur in West Java, then to Ambon, and later to Manado in Sulawesi. He died on November 6, 1864, at the age of 92 and is buried in Sulawesi. The site of his grave is marked by a Minangkabau (West Sumatran) house.

Prince Diponegoro (Pangeran Diponegoro) (born Yogyakarta 1785 - died Makassar 1855) was a Javanese prince who opposed the Dutch colonial rule. He played an important role in the Java War (1825-1830). In 1830, the Dutch exiled him to Manado.

Diponegoro was a prince in the Javanese court of Yogyakarta. In the early 19th century the Javanese nobles were deprived of their right to lease land, which right was taken over by the Dutch colonial authority in order to improve their finances. Infuriated by the loss of prestige, and also by not having been chosen for promotion, Diponegoro believed that he had been chosen by divine powers to lead a rebellion against the secular colonials and started a holy war against them. Dipenogoro was widely believed to be the Ratu Adil, the Just Ruler predicted in the Pralembang Joyoboyo.

The beginning of the war saw large losses on the side of the Dutch, due to their lack of coherent strategy and commitment in fighting Diponegoro's guerrilla warfare. Ambushes were set up, and food supplies were denied to the Dutch troops. Diponegoro also enjoyed popular support among the population of Central Java.

The Dutch finally committed themselves to controlling the spreading rebellion by increasing the number of troops and sending General De Kock to stop the insurgencies. De Kock developed a fortress wherein he established a series of heavily-fortified and well-defended soldiers to limit the movement of Diponegoro's troops. Then Diponegoro was invited to negotiate. He accepted but later it was known that it was only Dutch trick to abduct him. He was placed under arrest while meeting under the auspices of negotiation in 1830. The Dutch exiled him to Makassar.

Today Diponegoro is a National Hero in Indonesia, and an Army division is named after him.

Mohammad Hatta (August 12, 1902 - March 14, 1980) was born in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). He was Indonesia's first vice president, after being the country's Prime Minister.

Known as "The Proclamator", he and a number of Indonesians, including the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, fought for the independence of Indonesia from the Dutch East Indies.

Despite his effort to gain Indonesian independence, he had studied in the Netherlands since 1921 until 1932. Moreover, since his early education, he studied in Netherlands-based school in Indonesia.

Mohammad Hatta's name often remembered as Bung Hatta ('Bung' is an affectionate title used to address colleagues, popular in early 1900s) and is still used by Indonesians.

Munir Said Thalib (December 8, 1965 - September 7, 2004), affectionally known simply as 'Munir', was Indonesia's most famous Human Rights and anti-corruption activist.

The founder of the Kontras human rights organisation and laureate of the Right Livelihood Award, Munir was assassinated in 2004 while travelling to Utrecht University to pursue a Master's degree in international law and human rights.