Joedono, Mantiri get ambassadorial posts
Joedono, Mantiri get ambassadorial posts
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday initiated 15 new
Indonesian ambassadors including former minister of trade Satrio
Budiardjo Joedono and Lt. Gen. (ret) H.B.L. Mantiri, a former
candidate to the ambassadorial post in Canberra, Australia, last
year.
The swearing-in of Joedono as new ambassador to Paris and
Mantiri to Singapore ended speculation surrounding the two men
after they both lost their position and candidacy respectively.
The Canberra post was left vacant after the return of
ambassador Sabam Siagian, a former journalist, to Jakarta in
June. The appointed successor, Mantiri, was dropped because of a
last minute objection from some groups in Australia about his
appointment. Canberra had already given its approval earlier.
The Australian press started widespread controversy in
Australia after it learned of an 1992 interview in which Mantiri
condoned the 1991 incident in East Timor that left, according to
an official account, about 50 people dead.
It was not until December that career diplomat Wiryono
Sastrowardoyo was transferred from his ambassadorial post in
Paris to fill the vacancy in Canberra.
At about the same time, the government here also announced a
cabinet shake-up by merging the trade ministry and the industry
ministry under one roof, thus leaving Joedono without an office.
With yesterday's ceremony Joedono replaces Wiryono, while
Mantiri replaces Soedibyo Rahardjo in Singapore.
Yesterday's ceremony was held at Merdeka Palace and attended
by Vice President Try Sutrisno and House Speaker Wahono.
Other ambassadors included Gatot Soewardi, a former admiral of
the Indonesian fleet, who is appointed ambassador to New Delhi
replacing retired Lt. Gen. Adolf Sahala Raja Gukguk.
Isbandi Gondo, an Air Force air marshal, was selected
ambassador to Thailand replacing Lt. Gen. (ret.) I Gede Awet
Sara, while senior ranking Poerwanto Lenggono of the police force
became ambassador to Yangon.
Several career diplomats were also inaugurated as ambassadors
yesterday, including Petronella Luhulima who received a second
ambassadorial post with her appointment to Helsinki after
previously heading the Indonesian mission in Stockholm.
Other new ambassadors included Haringun Hardjotanojo as
ambassador to Stockholm, Husny Sungkar to Abu Dhabi, Trenggono to
Dakar, Samsi Abdullah to Bogota, Dalindra Aman to Lebanon, Ibnu
J. Siregar to Sana'a, Jodi Sutanto to Islamabad and Alwi Anas to
Kabul. (mds)