Army unveils major reshuffle

Tiarma Siboro The Jakarta Post Jakarta

The Army unveiled a major reshuffle on Friday, replacing Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djoko Santoso with Pattimura Military Commander Maj. Gen. Agus Tadi.

Djoko, who graduated from the Military Academy (Akabri) in 1975, will reportedly be promoted to a three-star general and replace Army deputy chief Lt. Gen. Sudarsono, who is about to reach the mandatory retirement age of 55.

"The Army completed a reshuffle of high-ranking and middle- ranking officers last week. Some 30 officers have been transferred to new posts, including five regional military commanders," Army chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said after breaking the fast at the Jakarta Military Headquarters in East Jakarta.

"Maj. Gen. Agus Tadi will soon be assigned to Jakarta to replace Pak Djoko (Santoso). Djoko will replace another military officer who will soon retire," Ryamizard said without elaborating.

Agus Tadi was Ryamizard's classmate at Akabri. They both graduated from the academy in 1974.

Agus Tadi's position in Pattimura will be assumed by his chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Syarifuddin Suma, a 1973 Akabri graduate.

Ryamizard declined to comment on why the Jakarta Military commander was being replaced ahead of the 2004 general election.

The general also appointed Maj. Gen. Soenarso, a 1973 academy graduate, to fill the post of Diponegoro Military commander, which has been vacant since the death of Maj. Gen. Amirul Isnaini, a 1975 Akabri graduate, due to cancer in June.

Soenarso is the current Sriwijaya Military commander overseeing South Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu and Lampung provinces.

His chief of staff, Brig. Gen. Syahrial, will take over as the head of the Sriwijaya Military Command.

Maj. Gen. Agus Yitno, the head of the Udayana Military Command overseeing Bali, East and West Nusa Tenggara, will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Supiadin Yusus, a 1975 Akabri graduate. Supiadin is currently the chief of staff of the Tanjungpura Military Command.

Agus, according to Ryamizard, take over as the Army's territorial commander, replacing Maj. Gen. Mahidin Simbolon.

There were rumors last week that the reshuffle would also affect top-level military officers at the Indonesian Military (TNI) Headquarters in Cilangkap, with some suggesting that TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto would be replaced by Marshall Chappy Hakim, the Air Force commander.

According to the rumors, Endriartono would move into the post of defense minister, replacing Matori Abdul Djalil, who is suffering from a serious illness and is being treated at the Mount Elizabeth General Hospital in Singapore.