Obituary: Indonesia's Suharto

Jakarta: Former president Suharto died on Sunday after a long illness. He was 86.

Suharto was born on June 8, 1921. Like many Javanese, he has only one name.

Suharto was hailed as the father of development by some Indonesians during his 32 years in power and accused of corruption and rights abuses by others.

The former general's rule was marked by rapid economic growth and political stability, but marred by massacres, human rights abuses and endemic corruption.

Suharto came to power after a September, 1965 coup. Up to 500,000 people were killed in an anti-communist purge in the months that followed.

He was forced to step down in 1998 as the Asian financial crisis sparked economic and social chaos, leading to calls for greater democracy.