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)