Hundreds of mid-ranking police officers promoted
JAKARTA (JP): Hundreds of middle-ranking police officers were promoted via a presidential decree on Wednesday.
The promotions were made on the heels of Monday's incident when 150 middle-ranking officers stated that outgoing National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro should stop being recalcitrant and comply with presidential orders to vacate his post.
It is unclear if the 150 officers were among those who received the promotions.
The president's handpicked commander, National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Chaeruddin Ismail, also swore in over 100 middle-ranking officers as senior commissioners in the National Police on Wednesday.
Chaeruddin is handling the daily duties of Bimantoro, who took a 10-day leave on Tuesday, along with National Police spokesman, Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi.
"Don't get excited over this. These officers were supposed to be promoted on July 1, but the presidential decree on the promotions has just been issued, so we held the ceremony today (Wednesday)," Chaeruddin said.
The decree also promoted at least 131 officers to the rank of adjutant senior commissioner, 349 to commissioner and 356 to adjutant commissioner rank.
Chaeruddin added that he was also scheduled to call a meeting of provincial police chiefs, to discuss, among other things, security issues relating to the special session of the People's Consultative Assembly scheduled for Aug.1.
Meanwhile, lawyers for the National Police demanded on Wednesday the Supreme Court investigate a number of recently issued presidential decrees concerning police issues.
"We have just met with Supreme Court Chief Bagir Manan, and have asked the Supreme Court to investigate and find unlawful the recently issued presidential decrees concerning police issues," chief of the police team of lawyers, Adnan Buyung Nasution, said on Wednesday evening.
The team comprised, among others, noted lawyers Muhammad Assegaf and Indrianto Seno Adji.
Buyung was referring to the following decrees: Presidential Decree No. 77/2001, which reinstates the post of the National Police deputy chief; Presidential Decree No. 49/2001, which honorably dismisses Bimantoro as National Police chief; Presidential Decree No. 40/2001 on the appointment of the National Police deputy chief; and Presidential Decree No. 41/2001, on the suspension of the National Police chief.
In the incident which shocked a number of police generals on Monday, officers ranging from adjutant senior commissioners to senior commissioners demanded Bimantoro stop disobeying orders.
The incident had been carefully planned beforehand, but police generals at the National Police intelligence directorate, the National Police detectives division and the National Police internal affairs division claimed that they had had no prior knowledge of it.(ylt)