City military gets new chief of staff

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso installed yesterday Brig. Gen. Sudi Silalahi as the new chief of staff at the Military Command, replacing Brig. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

Sudi, 44, a 1972 graduate of the Armed Forces Academy, was a former deputy assistant to the Armed Forces chief of sociopolitical affairs.

Sjafrie, a 1974 graduate of the academy, will replace Sutiyoso -- who is still awaiting President Soeharto's approval of his appointment as governor of Jakarta -- on Wednesday next week.

Sutiyoso praised Sjafrie, who served as city military chief of staff for 13 months and three days, for his good management skills and a job well-done.

"The Armed Forces chief has chosen the right man for the job by promoting Sjafri to the higher position of Jakarta military commander," he said.

According to Sutiyoso, he met Sjafrie in 1991 when he was a deputy commander of the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) in which Sjafrie was a deputy operational assistant.

"I'm sure that Sjafrie will be better than me as Jakarta military commander," he said.

Sjafrie, who was born on Oct. 30, 1952, was appointed chief of the Presidential Guard Corps in 1993, chief of the Bogor Military Command the following year, and then deputy chief of the Jakarta Garrison in 1995 before he was appointed Jakarta military chief of staff on Aug. 14, last year.

In yesterday's ceremony, Sutiyoso urged Sjafrie's successor, Sudi, to pay more attention to the upcoming national and international events, including next month's Sea Games and the March general assembly of the People's Consultative Assembly.

"The two events must proceed safely and successfully."

He said the military command would deploy 10,000 officers to ensure security at these important events. (jun)