Hundreds of mid-ranking police officers promoted
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)