Police generals meet with Chaeruddin<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Top police generals at National Police
\nHeadquarters breathed easy on Friday after having privately met
\nwith National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Chaeruddin Ismail,
\nwho reportedly gave the generals an assurance of loyalty toward
\nthe National Police.<\/p>\n
Former National Police chief Gen. (ret) H.M. Sanusi said that
\npolice generals and former police generals wanted to save
\nNational Police Headquarters from \"absolute destruction.\"<\/p>\n
\"We were not able to speak with Chaeruddin earlier. We have
\nspoken to him now and we believe that we need to work together to
\nsave the National Police from destruction, which has been caused
\nboth by internal and external forces.<\/p>\n
\"Chaeruddin told us that he usually discussed matters with
\nBimantoro when it came to security issues and upholding the
\nintegrity of National Police Headquarters,\" Sanusi said, after
\nthe meeting at Ambhara Hotel, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
On hand at Friday's meeting included former National Police
\nchiefs Rusdihardjo and Awaloeddin Djamin.<\/p>\n
President Abdurrahman Wahid suspended and later on dismissed
\nGen. Surojo Bimantoro as National Police chief and handpicked
\nChaeruddin to take over the duties.<\/p>\n
Bimantoro, however, challenged the President's decision,
\narguing that the President needed approval from the House of
\nRepresentatives to dismiss him, as required by a People's
\nConsultative Assembly decree.<\/p>\n
As Bimantoro gained support from the House and senior police
\ngenerals, the President took several confusing steps to force
\nBimantoro to surrender his command baton.<\/p>\n
Failing to achieve that, the President then ordered his aides
\nto arrest Bimantoro and city police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan
\nYacob. This caused uproar, which prompted the President to
\nrectify his earlier decision.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Chaeruddin said that he had not issued any
\ninstruction for the arrests of Bimantoro or Sofjan.<\/p>\n
\"I will not make any such arrest...I've never received a
\ndirect order from the President on that matter,\" Chaeruddin told
\nreporters, after attending Friday prayers.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, what Cabinet Secretary Marzuki Darusman announced on
\nThursday was quite clear. Police will therefore take no action.\"<\/p>\n
Marzuki called an abrupt media conference on Thursday night to
\nrectify an earlier announcement made by presidential spokesman
\nYahya C. Staquf about the order to arrest Bimantoro.<\/p>\n
Legislator Insp. Gen. Taufiequrochman Ruki told reporters on
\nFriday that he suspected that Thursday's announcement \"must have
\nbeen the doings of the President's whisperers.\"<\/p>\n
Two other legislators, Aisyah Amini of the United Development
\nParty faction and Manase Malo of the Love the Nation Democratic
\nParty faction, even suggested that Yahya be arrested for
\nendangering public safety. (ylt\/tso)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/police-generals-meet-with-chaeruddin-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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