Makbul named police chief of detectives
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Comr. Gen. Suyitno Landung has been dismissed as the National Police chief of detectives following last week's bombing in the mainly Christian town of Tentena in Central Sulawesi, which killed 21 people.
National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar swore in on Friday his close aide, Comr. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara, to replace Suyitno who was transferred to the force's headquarters without a specific posting.
Suyitno chaired the police team that investigated last year's bombing of the Australian Embassy, which killed 11 people including a suicide bomber.
Under his leadership, the police failed to capture fugitive key terror suspects Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohd. Top, who have been blamed for the embassy blast and previous terror attacks.
Da'i did not specify the reasons for the sudden replacement of Suyitno.
However, the decision came just days after the deadly bomb blasts on May 28, 2005, in a crowded market in Tentena, some 60 kilometers north of Poso regency in Central Sulawesi, an area that was once wracked by sectarian fighting.
Earlier, lawmakers had called for a major reshuffle of the police's top brass for failing to prevent the latest bomb attack. Speculation has also been growing that Da'i may also be replaced soon.
"He (Suyitno) will be assigned to National Police headquarters, pending a new posting," police spokesman Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boedihardjo said.
He said the promotion of Makbul Padmanagara was based on a order issued by Da'i on June 1, 2005, three days after the Tentena attack.
Speaking after his inauguration, Makbul vowed to immediately find the Tentena bombers.
He also said he would continue to carry out all the programs put in place by his predecessor.
In his speech at the same ceremony, Da'i asked Makbul to work hard to resolve various unresolved crimes "... ranging from transnational crimes and terrorism to corruption."
Makbul, 50, is a former Jakarta Police chief. Before being appointed to his current posting, the three-star general had no specific posting in National Police Headquarters after several months serving as National Narcotics Agency chief.