ABRI chief of general affairs confirms his dismissal
ABRI chief of general affairs confirms his dismissal
JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of general affairs Lt.
Gen. Soeyono has confirmed that he had lost his job but denied
that this had any connection with his health.
"I have received the Armed Forces Chief's decree and am ready
to quit my post," Soeyono told reporters here on Friday night
when attending Singapore National Day celebrations at the
Singaporean embassy.
ABRI top leaders have so far been tightlipped about who will
replace Soeyono.
Antara reported yesterday that the Armed Forces' general
affairs are now provisionally being handled by Lt. Gen. Tarub, a
former commander of the Army Strategic Reserve (Kostrad).
Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Amir Syarifudin had also
declined to comment on the dismissal or the reasons for it.
The decree on Soeyono's dismissal, dated Aug. 8, 1996, was
signed by Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung. Soeyono said he
received the letter on Friday afternoon.
The decree stipulated that Soeyono would soon be transferred
to another senior post at the Armed Forces headquarters.
He said that he had no idea who would replace him.
A 1965 graduate of the Army Academy, Soeyono spent most of his
military career at the Army Strategic Reserve Command, known as
the green berets corps. He was once President Soeharto's adjutant
and is a former Chief of the Diponegoro Regional Military
Command, which oversees security in Central Java.
Soeyono declined to say when he would formally be transferred
to his new post.
Soeyono denied speculation that his reassignment to the
"administrative" post in the armed forces headquarters had any
connection with a recent road accident.
Soeyono was reportedly catapulted into a river while riding
his motorbike on a tour to North Sulawesi recently. He was
reportedly badly injured in his left arm and leg.
"As you can see, I am healthy and can still attend the
Singapore National Day Celebration here," he told reporters.
Accompanied by his wife Sribudi Mintorosasi, Soeyono came to
the party to bid farewell and to express gratitude for the good
cooperation and relationship between the Indonesian and the
Singaporean armed forces.
"I am healthy now and until this morning I could still sign
official letters," he said.
On Thursday Soeyono visited the headquarters of the
Presidential Guard Squad in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, and did
some target practice, placing eight of eleven bullets in the
central part of the target. (imn)