Makbul named police chief of detectives
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.