Ex-Aceh commanders get key posts

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two former military operations chiefs in Aceh received strategic posts in the latest military reshuffle, which affected several other high-ranking officers overseeing security in other provinces.

Maj. Gen. George Toisutta and Maj. Gen. Bambang Darmono have been assigned respectively to head the Trikora Military Command in Papua and the Army's Infantry Command in Bandung, West Java.

The two generals were Aceh military commanders when the government imposed a one-year martial law in May 19, 2003.

Bambang, who led the military offensive in troubled Aceh for six months before being replaced by George, was previously the Indonesian Military (TNI) chief's assistant for social and welfare affairs. Before being posted to Aceh, George was in charge of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad)'s first division based in Cilodong, West Java.

Bambang and George are 1974 graduates of the Armed Forces Academy.

Two former heads of East Timor's Wiradharma Military Command were promoted in the reshuffle. Brig. Gen. FX Suhartono Suratman and Brig. Gen. A. Nur Muis were both acquitted of gross human rights abuses in East Timor when it voted to break away from Indonesia in 1999.

Suratman, the current acting TNI spokesman, will serve as the TNI chief's expert staff on communications and social affairs. He will be promoted to a two-star general. The new TNI spokesman will be Maj. Gen. Kohirin Suganda, who was previously the coordinator of the TNI chief's expert staff.

Nur Muis has been appointed the new chief of the Jakarta Military garrison.

The outgoing head of the Trikora Military Command, Maj. Gen. Nurdin Zainal, was assigned as the intelligence assistant to the TNI chief of general affairs, Vice Marshall Wartoyo. Nurdin replaces Maj. Gen. Dadi Sutanto, who was promoted to the Ministry of Defense's director-general of defense strategy.

TNI information officer Col. A. Yani Basuki said on Tuesday 13 high-ranking military officers were promoted in these latest personnel moves.

The reshuffle affected a total of 57 military officers, including 31 who served at TNI Headquarters, 18 officers at Army Headquarters and six at Navy Headquarters.

"It is a routine duty rotation of military officers," Yani told The Jakarta Post.

The reshuffle, which was approved by TNI chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, also affected the head of East Java's Brawijaya Military Command, Maj. Gen. Achmad Djunaidi Sikki, and the head of Sulawesi's Wirabuana Military Command, Maj. Gen. Suprapto.

Achmad, who will soon reach retirement age, will be replaced by Maj. Gen. Syamsul Mapareppa and will take up a non-portfolio desk at TNI Headquarters.

Mapareppa currently heads the Army's Territorial Command. He will be replaced in this position by Suprapto. Maj. Gen. Arief B.S., a former infantry commander, will take over from Suprapto as head of the Wirabuana Military Command.

The latest reshuffle also affects the Navy's Eastern Fleet chief, Rear Adm. Susialisman, who has been named to head the Navy's Command School. Rear Adm. Didi Heru Purnomo will fill Susialisman's current post.