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)