Lt. Gen. Soeyono given key post at defense ministry

Lt. Gen. Soeyono given key post at defense ministry

JAKARTA (JP): Lt. Gen. Soeyono, the former Armed Forces Chief
of General Affairs, was installed as secretary-general of the
Ministry of Defense and Security yesterday.

Minister of Defense and Security/Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander
Gen. Wiranto led the ceremony in which he also installed four
other first-echelon ministry officials.

Once a high-profile officer, Soeyono virtually disappeared
from the public scene after he was removed from his ABRI job
prematurely in August 1996 shortly after a massive riot in
Jakarta at the end of the previous month.

Many military observers said then his army career was
finished.

"It's a blessing from God the Almighty that I'm still being
entrusted by the ABRI leadership to give my services to the
state," Soeyono told Antara when asked to comment on his new
appointment on Wednesday.

Soeyono replaced Lt. Gen. (ret) Sugeng Subroto.

The other new appointments are:

* Lt. Gen. Yusuf Kartanegara, formerly assistant for
intelligence to ABRI chief of general affairs, as inspector
general. He replaced Lt. Gen. (ret) I Putu Soeranta.

* Maj. Gen. Bachrul Ulum as director general for General
Planning and Budgeting. He replaced Rear Admiral (ret) Yusuf
Effendi.

* Maj. Gen. Albert Thomas Paruntu as aide for foreign policy.
He replaced Rear Admiral (ret) Sunardi.

* Rear Admiral Bambang Purwadi as aide for special affairs. He
replaced Maj. Gen. (ret) Bekkar Saleh.

Antara reported on Wednesday that Maj. Gen. Agum Gumelar, the
former Wirabuana Military Commander overseeing Sulawesi, will be
appointed governor of the National Resilience Institute, ABRI's
think tank and promoted to lieutenant general.

The post is currently held by Lt. Gen. Sofyan Effendi. (emb)