Former Indonesian Strongman Suharto Dies

Former Indonesian President Suharto died Sunday at the age of 86 after suffering a major relapse.

Suharto had been in a Jakarta hospital for 23 days, the Jakarta Post reported. He had appeared to be recovering after coming close to death a week ago.

After ousting Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, in a 1967 coup, Suharto ruled the country for more than three decades. He created a centralized government while attempting to maintain a veneer of democracy.

Western governments were willing to overlook Suharto’s authoritarian regime and massacres like the one that killed 200,000 in East Timor because of his anti-Communism. He came under pressure in the 1990s after the end of the Cold War from both outside and inside Indonesia.

In 1998, Suharto won another term as president, running with no opposition. But he resigned after Indonesians took to the streets in protest.

Suharto spent his last years mostly inside his family compound. He avoided prosecution for corruption by pleas of ill health.