Indonesia's Despotic 'Father of Development'; U.S. Ally, in Power for 3 Decades, Oversaw Bloody Purges as Well as Nation's Rise to Prosperity From: The Washington Post | Date: January 28, 2008| Author: Ellen Nakashima - Washington Post Foreign Service | Copyright 2008 The Washington Post. This material is published under license from the Washington Post.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post.Copyright information

Former Indonesian president Suharto, who in 32 years of brutal authoritarian rule turned one of Asia's largest and poorest countries into a fast-growing economic tiger, died Sunday of multiple organ failure. He was 86.

Thousands of people wept in the street outside his home, news reports said, mourning a man credited with holding together a sprawling, diverse country while overseeing its rapid development. But many Indonesians expressed outrage at the rampant cronyism that marked his r...