Benny Moerdani in 'critical condition'
Benny Moerdani in 'critical condition'
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Former Armed Forces (ABRI) chief Gen. (ret) Leonardus Benyamin
"Benny" Moerdani was reported to have gone into a coma on
Saturday following a steady deterioration in his health since he
was hospitalized early in July.
State Minister for National Development Planning Kwik Kian Gie
said after visiting the ailing general in the Intensive Care Unit
of the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta that Benny
was in "a critical condition" after suffering a combination of
stroke and other ailments.
"His condition has been deteriorating," Kwik quoted a doctor
as saying.
A hospital staffer said former president Soeharto had visited
74-year-old Benny on Friday, when the latter was still conscious.
"Yesterday, he (Benny) could still recognize Pak Harto when he
visited him," the staffer said.
Apart from Kwik, a number of prominent figures also visited
Benny on Saturday, including President Megawati Soekarnoputri's
husband Taufik Kiemas, House of Representatives legislator Panda
Nababan, former Navy chief of staff Adm. (ret) M. Arifin,
entrepreneur Sofjan Wanandi, former Indonesian ambassador to
Australia Sabam Siagian, the publisher of the Kompas daily, Jakob
Oetama, Tempo weekly general manager Fikri Jufri, and businessman
Des Alwi.
Benny was admitted to the hospital on July 8 following a
stroke. He was also suffering from a lung infection, and has been
on a respirator since then.
Born in Cepu, Central Java, in 1932, Benny spent most of his
military career in combat and intelligence roles. As a major, he
was deeply involved in the restoration of ties between Indonesia
and Malaysia, which had been severed following the confrontation
policy adopted by former president Sukarno in the 1960s.
Known for his dour appearance, Benny rose to international
fame when he led an operation to release the passengers of a
Garuda Indonesia aircraft held hostage by hijackers in Bangkok in
1981.
His recognition on the international stage was evident when a
number of foreign leaders attended the wedding of his only
daughter in the early 1990s.
As military chief, Benny was implicated in the bloody Tanjung
Priok, North Jakarta, shooting incident in 1984, in which dozens
of Muslim protesters were killed. In its probe, the National
Commission on Human Rights said there were 33 fatalities in the
incident, including 14 people whose identities remain unknown.
The case has been heard by the ad hoc human rights tribunal,
which gave rise to a public outcry when it acquitted all the
high-ranking officers who were charged, but convicted a number of
rank-and-file soldiers.