East Timor gets new military chief
East Timor gets new military chief
DILI, East Timor (JP): The Armed Forces installed on Saturday Col. Mahidin Simbolon, a rapidly rising Army star, as chief of the local military command to replace Col. Kiki Syahnakrie.
Simbolon, a 1974 graduate of the National Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java, has so far spent virtually all his military years in the Army's elite Special Force (Kopassus).
He is no stranger to East Timor, having served in the former Portuguese territory several times. In 1992 he headed the military unit that arrested Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao at his hideout in Dili, an achievement that later earned him a special promotion in rank, ahead of the normal schedule.
Before coming here, Simbolon was Assistant for Intelligence to the Special Forces's chief in Jakarta.
In a military ceremony on Saturday, Maj. Gen. Adang Ruchiatna, chief of the Udayana Military Command which oversees East Timor, as well as the Bali and East and West Nusa Tenggara provinces, installed Simbolon.
The transfer of duty raised some eyebrows because Syahnakrie has served in the East Timor command for only eight months, while such a post is traditionally held for two years.
It also comes at a time when the Army is still investigating the controversial killing of six East Timorese villagers by the military in the Liquisa regency last January. The Army has determined that there was a violation of procedures in the way the local military command handled the affair and that some of the officers would be court martialled for this.
Adang was quick to deny that the removal of Syahnakrie was in any way connected with the Liquisa incident.
"Syahnakrie is getting a promotion in his new job at Army headquarters. He will, in fact, fill a position currently held by someone of the brigadier general rank," he said.
Syahnakrie will be moving to Jakarta to serve as Operational Staff in the Army's General Staff.
Adang also denied speculation that Simbolon, with his Special Forces background, had been picked for the job because the military is changing its strategy in East Timor. Syahnakrie comes from the Army's Strategic Reserves Command.
"I think Simbolon deserves the post because his rise to the rank of colonel was extraordinarily rapid. He deserves it. We always value those with achievements."
Regarding Simbolon's task, he underlined that the East Timor military chief will take orders from him and not from the Special Forces.
Adang also denied press speculations that the deputy chief of the East Timor command, Col. Gleny Kairupan, would soon be replaced because Kairupan comes from the military academy class of 1972, and is, therefore, two years Simbolon's senior.
Col. Simbolon, on a separate occasion, stressed that the presence of the military in East Timor is solely "to help our brothers" in developing the province.
Many of the soldiers come to serve here, leaving behind their families, with only one intention: to help the East Timorese people, Simbolon told The Jakarta Post.
"It is impossible that the Armed Forces would violate the humanitarian values Indonesian people believe in. Armed Forces members come here fully understanding humanitarian values, that includes respecting the integrity and honor, as well as the cultures of the East Timor people."
The main objective of the military command in East Timor, "is to ensure a more peaceful and orderly situation, so that everybody can work in peace. We hope all East Timor people will support this objective," he added. (yac/emb)