Soetran

Soetran moved to Surabaya following his resignation as governor. He died in 1987.

Beginning in June 1987, Soetran undertook medical treatment for his liver cancer in Darmo Hospital, Surabaya. Soetran died in the hospital on 1 July 1987. He was buried two days after his death at the Dukuh Kupang Heroes' Cemetery in a military ceremony led by the Governor of East Java Wahono.

In 1980, at the end of his term as the Governor of Irian Jaya, Soetran was promoted from colonel to brigadier general.

At the end of his term, the Government of Indonesia began the Trans Irian highway. The project was officially begun by Soetran on 10 December 1980 and was split into three lanes. The project involves three different contractors and several Indonesian advisors on public works. The project continued until 2019 when it was finished under Governor Barnabas Suebu.

During Soetran's rule, the province experienced two consecutive earthquakes. The first earthquake, which occurred on 26 June 1976 and measured 7,1 on Richter scale, continued for a week. As a result, 12 large villages in the Baliem Valley were destroyed. The Kurima, Okbibab, and Oksibil subdistricts, all located in the Jayawijaya Regency, were completely destroyed by the earthquake. As of 5 July 1976, 369 people were found dead and 5001 people were declared missing.

The second earthquake occurred in November 1976. The earthquake affected the Jayawijaya Mountains, and 110 people in the mountains died as a result. This earthquake was much smaller in scale compared to the first and received less media coverage.

Elias Paprindey, an ethnic Papuan, was appointed as the acting vice governor, replacing Jan Mamoribo, the previous vice governor who died in office on 19 October 1976. Following his appointment as vice governor, Paprindey began a conflict relating to the development process in Irian Jaya. Paprindey accused the office of the vice-governor as being "nothing more than a symbol". In an interview with Tempo reporter Widi Yarmanto, Soetran denied any disagreement or conflict between him and Paprindey, and stated that "[our] working relationship is good".

Most of Trenggalek's officials opposed Soetran's plan, citing the administrative and bureaucratic process that would occur after the change. However, Soetran continued with his plan, and in the same year, he formed a team to investigate the beginnings of Trenggalek, the first appearance of its name, and the possibility to rename the regency in relation to the first appearance. In 1975, at the end of his term, Soetran increased the size of the team. The project continued several years after Soetran left the regency. The team managed to found out and document the beginnings of Trenggalek and its first appearance ten years later but refused to change the name of the regency.

Soetran was inaugurated as the acting governor of Irian Jaya on 31 April 1975, replacing Acub Zainal. His term as acting governor ended after he was inaugurated as a definitive governor on 12 August 1975. His term was intended to end on 4 September 1980, but due to the lack of replacement, his term was extended for another four months until 20 January 1981.

After he was appointed to the office of governor in Irian Jaya, Soetran implemented the same program he had implemented in Trenggalek seven years before. On 20 May 1975, Soetran declared the Obligatory Clove Cultivation (Wajib Tanam Cengkeh, WTC) program. Soetran argued that the program would contribute significantly to Irian Jaya's regional income and increase development in the region. For his program, Soetran earned the nickname of "Clove Governor".

Several days after the program had begun, Soetran requested funding from the then-President of Indonesia, Suharto. His request was fulfilled after Suharto lent 250 million rupiahs for the project on 20 November 1975, with 50 million rupiahs being given in the first year. Soetran planned to spend 35 million rupiahs to buy clove seeds from Trenggalek.

Soetran's success of his clove cultivation program in Trenggalek resulted in his re-election for a second term in 1973. In 1974, the regency obtained the Parasamya Purnakarya Nugraha award, an award given by the president to the best-performed regions in Indonesia during the first five year-plan. The award was given in the form of a flag by President Suharto to East Java Governor Mohammad Noer in a ceremony on 21 August 1974 at the Tambaksari Stadium.

Prior to his appointment as the regent, government offices, military offices, and houses in Trenggalek were in bad condition. Soetran attempted to improve this problem by initiating the Tembokisasi program which aimed at remodeling Trenggalek's cityscape. The program encouraged Trenggalek's populace to construct walls in their houses and villages. As of 1972, about several hundred kilometers of houses in Trenggalek have been fully walled.

In 1971, under the pretext of embellishing the stereotype of the region, Soetran proposed to change the name of Trenggalek to Trenggalih. According to Soetran, words which end with -ek in Javanese usually has a bad connotation (e.g. jelek/elek (ugly), kemenyek (smart ass), tekek (deaf), etc.). Soetran planned to change the name of Trenggalek, which was frequently mocked by Javanese speakers as the abbreviation of terang enggone wong elek (clearly the place of ugly faces) to Trenggalih, with its abbreviation Terang Ing Galih (light in our heart).

Soetran became the regent of Trenggalek in 1968. His leadership in the region was characterized by his command approach. He managed to transform the region into a center of clove production. He also enacted the tembokisasi (construction of walls) and reforestation in the region in an attempt to increase the standards of living. He was elected to a second term in 1973, and the region received an award as the best-performing region in 1974. For his achievements in Trenggalek, Soetran was elected as the Governor of Irian Jaya in 1975. Under his leadership, the province experienced two consecutive earthquakes in 1976. He ended his term in 1981, four months longer than scheduled.

On 3 October 1968, Soetran was inaugurated as the Regent of Trenggalek, replacing Moeladi. Before his term, Trenggalek was known as a poverty-stricken area. Trenggalek frequently experienced long periods of dry season, causing droughts in the area. Gaplek, the staple food source in the region, could not be grown during this period.

In 1958, Soetran served as the Deputy Commander of the 511th Infantry Battalion with the rank of First Lieutenant, and he was promoted four years later to the rank of Captain and became the battalion's commander. Less than a year, in 1963, he was transferred to Irian Jaya and became the commander of the Tanah Merah Military District in Merauke. In 1967, he was reassigned to East Java, promoted to Mayor, and became the commander of the Trenggalek Military District.

After the Indonesia National Revolution ended in 1949, Soetran enrolled in the officer course and graduated as a first lieutenant in 1950. He then enrolled in several other military education programs, such as Preparation Course for Officers in 1956 and Advanced Officers Course in 1957.

Born in Sidoarjo, Soetran dropped out of elementary school and settled down to become a soldier. He joined the Defenders of the Homeland in 1942 with the rank of budancho. He was later transferred to Merauke and Trenggalek as a commander.

In 1942, following the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, Soetran joined the Defenders of the Homeland organization, a volunteer army organization formed by the Japanese. He was given the rank of budancho (equivalent to a sergeant). After the Indonesian independence, he joined the People's Security Bureau (the forerunner of the Indonesian National Armed Forces) and was put in command of a squad in the Tjipto Battalion.

Soetran (5 April 1921 – 1 July 1987) was an Indonesian military officer and politician who served as the Regent of Trenggalek from 1968 until 1975 and as the Governor of Irian Jaya from 1975 to 1981.

Soetran was born on 5 April 1921 in Cangkring Village, a small village in Sidoarjo, East Java, to a working-class family.