Why is a Singapore firm suing the children of Indonesian dictator Suharto over a theme park?

Mitora Pte Ltd is demanding US$40 million and trying to reclaim land and buildings that are part of the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah park

Under the Suharto family’s management the park has incurred massive losses. Some say now is the time for a more thorough audit of the dictator’s legacy

Reading Time:5 minutes

Suharto’s eldest son Sigit Harjojudanto with his wife Elsye, younger brother Bambang Trihatmodjo and elder sister Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:30am, 13 Apr 2021Updated: 12:59pm, 13 Apr 2021

Five children of Suharto, the late Indonesian dictator, are being sued for the second time by a Singapore-based company involved in a project to modernise a Jakarta tourist attraction seen as a legacy of the country’s authoritarian era – the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), or “Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park”.

Mitora Pte Ltd filed a lawsuit at a South Jakarta court on March 8 against Siti Hardiyanti Hastuti Rukmana, Bambang Trihatmodjo, Siti Hediati Hariyadi, Sigit Harjojudanto, and Siti Hutami Endang Adiningsih. Other defendants in the case include the administrators at the family’s Purna Bhakti Pertiwi Foundation; Soehardjo Soebardi, a lawyer for the family; and the National Land Agency’s Central and East Jakarta branches.

In the lawsuit, the company seeks to confiscate 20 hectares of land in east Jakarta that hosts the Purna Bhakti Pertiwi Museum and the Puri Jati Ayu, a house built for Suharto by his wife, Tien Suharto.

Suharto, pictured circa 1970. Photo: Getty Images

Both the land and the buildings are part of the 146-hectare TMII complex. Mitora also seeks to confiscate land in the upscale area of Menteng in central Jakarta and is demanding payments totalling 584 billion rupiah (nearly US$40 million), citing unpaid “obligations” and “immaterial losses”.

Court proceedings began last week.

Since the launch of the lawsuit the Indonesian government has announced it will take over management of the park, a state asset, from the Harapan Kita Foundation, which is led by the Suharto family and has managed the park for 44 years. Under their management, the park has suffered massive losses and racked up tax debts.

The government plans to appoint a state-owned enterprise experienced in tourism to improve the park’s operations.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x