Helicopter crash a 'pure accident': Army

JAKARTA (JP): Army Chief of Staff Gen. Subagyo Hadisiswoyo has pronounced a "pure accident" as the cause of the crash of an Army helicopter in East Timor earlier this month, Antara reported yesterday.

The Army's investigation confirmed the preliminary finding that the Bell 205 aircraft crashed after hitting a tree and the side of a mountain in bad weather, Gen. Subagyo said.

It was not shot down by East Timor separatist rebels, he told reporters during a visit to Bandung, West Java.

All 12 officers on board the helicopter were killed in the June 4 crash in Viqueque regency in East Timor. They included Maj. Gen. Yudomo Sastro Suhardjo, the chief of the Udayana Regional Military Command, and Col. Slamat Sidabutar, the chief of the East Timor military command.

The Udayana Regional Military Command oversees provinces of Bali, East and West Nusa Tenggara and East Timor.

Yudomo had only served in the post for eight days, having replaced Maj. Gen. Syahrir M.S., who had been appointed chief of the Army's special force (Kopassus).

Subagyo said the investigation team, formed a day after the crash, had completed its work and presented its report, complete with photographs.

Meanwhile, Army spokesman Brig. Gen. I Dewa Putu Rai announced yesterday the appointment of Maj. Gen. Adam R. Damiri, chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) First Division, as the new chief of the Udayana command replacing Yudomo.

Maj. Adam is a 1972 graduate of the Armed Forces Academy.

Col. Suhartono Suratman, chief of Kopassus Group 3 for education and training, will fill the post of Sidabutar, Putu Rai said.

Brig. Gen. I Gede Dewa Purnawa, deputy chief of the Army Staff and Command School (Seskoad), will take over Adam's Kostrad position.

Two other appointments were made to fill posts left vacant due to fatalities in the crash. Lt. Col. Edy Sunardi has been appointed assistant for intelligence affairs to the Udayana Command chief of staff, and Lt. Col. Budi Heriyanto will be assistant for operations to the Udayana Military Command chief of staff.

Edy replaces Col. Pangandaran Napitulu, and Budi replaces Col. Satria Buana.

Putu Rai also confirmed that Brig. Gen. Syamsul Ma'arif, currently chief of staff of the Brawijaya regional military command, will become the new Armed Forces (ABRI) spokesman, replacing Brig. Gen. A. Wahab Mokodongan.

Mokodongan will soon be assigned an educational task at the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas). (emb/imn)