Maj. Gen. Slamet installed as new city military commander
Maj. Gen. Slamet installed as new city military commander
JAKARTA (JP): The capital received a new military commander on
Wednesday when Maj. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu handed the post to his
successor, Maj. Gen. Slamet Kirbiantoro.
Ryamizard, a son-in-law of former vice president Try
Sutrisno, has been promoted to commander of the Army Strategic
Reserves Command (Kostrad).
After the handover ceremony led by Army Chief of Staff Gen.
Tyasno Sudarto, the newly-appointed Jakarta Military Commander
Slamet, which in Javanese means safe or prosperity, refused to
give statements to the throng of journalists gathered at the
event.
Slamet, former chief of the Makassar-based Wirabuana Military
Command overseeing the Sulawesi provinces, simply said that he
had to rush off to catch a plane back to the South Sulawesi
capital of Makassar to prepare for the handover ceremony of his
Makassar post to Maj. Gen. Achmad Yahya, which was to take place
the next day.
"Not now, please. I must catch the plane," he objected.
Born in Kutoarjo, Central Java on March 18, 1948, Slamet, who
is 52, graduated from the Military Academy in 1970. His first
assignment was with the elite Army Special Forces (Kopassus)
until 1986 when he became a lieutenant colonel.
He was then transferred to Udayana Military Command overseeing
Bali, East and West Nusa Tenggara, and (former) East Timor. His
first assignment in the Command was as Badung Military District
commander in Bali. In 1990 he was transferred to lead the
Denpasar Military District Command.
He then served with Kostrad from 1992 to 1993 where he was
promoted to colonel.
In 1993, he was transferred to Tanjung Pura Military Command
overseeing the Kalimantan provinces. His last position in the
vast island was as South Kalimantan Resort Military Commander in
1995.
He reached his first star of brigadier general in 1995 as
intelligence unit chief at the Indonesian Military Intelligence
Agency (BIA).
He headed the Wirabuana Military Command since March 1 this
year.
In a prepared speech, Gen. Tyasno ordered all personnel of the
city military to be on the alert ahead of the next week's Annual
Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) here.
"The city has a strategic and complex position because of its
function as the capital city of Indonesia. This status generates
huge urbanization which in turn causes social disturbances," he
said.
"The disturbances will cause security problems," he added.
Tyasno agreed: "The Assembly's session is a milestone in our
history which can be obstructed without security guarantees.
"It's important that all involved personnel cooperate with
police and other security-related agencies," he added. (nvn)