Brig. Gen. Sjafrie to replace Sutiyoso as military chief
Brig. Gen. Sjafrie to replace Sutiyoso as military chief
JAKARTA (JP): As predicted, Jakarta Military Chief of Staff
Brig. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin will replace his superior, Maj.
Gen. Sutiyoso, as the new Jakarta Military commander.
Armed Forces (ABRI) spokesman Brig. Gen. A. Wahab Mokodongan
confirmed Sjafrie's promotion yesterday.
"Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung issued a decree for
Sjafrie's promotion on Tuesday. The decree will be effective
beginning Monday," Wahab said.
Sjafrie, a 1974 graduate of the National Military Academy,
will replace Sutiyoso, who was elected Jakarta governor by city
councilors on the same day Sjafrie's promotion was announced.
Sutiyoso secured 82.67 percent of the vote, or 62 out of 75
votes in Tuesday's election. Armed Forces legislator Achmadi came
second with eight votes, and Tb.M. Rais, the city's incumbent
deputy governor of economic and development affairs, came third
with five votes.
If approved by President Soeharto, Sutiyoso will be installed
as Jakarta's eighth governor on Oct. 6.
Asked about the date of the transfer-of-duty ceremony for the
new Jakarta military chief, Wahab said it would be held before
the installment ceremony of the Jakarta governor.
According to Wahab, Sjafrie will be replaced by Brig. Gen.
Sudi Silalahi, currently deputy to ABRI's assistant to the
sociopolitical affairs chief.
Silalahi will be replaced by Col. Yahya Sacawirya from ABRI's
sociopolitical department.
Born in Ujungpandang on Oct. 30, 1952, Sjafrie spent most of
his military career, from 1975 until 1991, at the elite Army's
Special Force (Kopassus).
He was appointed chief of the Presidential Guard Corps' Group
A in 1993, chief of the Bogor Military Command in the following
year, and then deputy chief of the Jakarta Garrison in 1995
before he was appointed chief of staff at the Jakarta Military
Command on Aug. 14, last year.
He has been involved in a series of military operations in
Aceh, East Timor and Irian Jaya.
He was involved in the Nanggala operation in East Timor in
1976, the Nanggala operation in Aceh in the following year, the
Candraqa operation in East Timor in 1984, the Maleo operation in
Irian Jaya in 1987 and the 86th Task Force operation in East
Timor in 1990.
Sjafrie also participated in a series of military exercises at
both local and international institutions.
He was trained in basic Special Force tactics in 1975,
intelligence in 1977; underwent Air Borne training in 1977, 1981
and 1983; attended an advanced military course in 1985,
antiterrorism training in 1986; strategic intelligence also in
1986 and the Army Staff and Command School (Seskoad) in 1988.
Sjafrie is also one of the few high-ranking military officials
who had formal university education. He got a master's degree in
business administration in 1993. (imn)