National Police announce promotion of 10 generals, 4 provincial chiefs
National Police announce promotion of 10 generals, 4 provincial chiefs
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The National Police announced on Monday a new round of
reshuffling within the institution, including the appointment of
Brig. Gen. Timbul Silaen, who was tried for gross human rights
violations in East Timor in 1999, as the new Papua police chief.
National Police deputy public relations chief Brig. Gen.
Soenarko said that current Papua police chief Insp. Gen. Budi
Utomo would be replaced by Timbul Silaen, while Budi Utomo would
take up his new post as East Kalimantan police chief.
He also said that Insp. Gen. Firman Gani would be posted as
the East Java police chief, while Brig. Gen. Herman Suryadi
Sumawiredja would serve as South Sumatra police chief.
"This is a regular rotation of duties so that the generals on
the police force can further enhance effective public services,"
Soenarko said.
The announcement appeared to have answered, at least partly,
rumors circulating around that there would soon be a
reorganization within the National Police. The rumor also had it
that Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanegara would be
replaced soon.
Timbul Silaen was police chief of East Timor when it was under
Indonesian control, when the Timorese voted to separate from
Indonesia in a United Nations-sponsored referendum on Aug. 30,
1999.
He was brought to trial in August 2002 on charges that he
failed to stop his subordinates from committing systematic
torture and killings in the former Portuguese colony.
Timbul was, however, declared not guilty of all charges by a
panel of five judges of an ad hoc Human Rights Tribunal in the
Central Jakarta District Court in relation to the killing of 27
East Timorese in the Ave Maria church in Covalima's capital city
of Suai on Sept. 6, 1999.
The judges led by Judge Andi Samson Nganro also said that they
had no evidence linking Timbul to the widespread, systematic
murder and torture in other locations in East Timor in 1999. The
judges ruled that one police officer was involved in human rights
violations, but not upon Timbul's orders.
The verdict immediately drew criticism from noted human rights
activists who considered the exoneration an insult to justice.
Timbul's posting to Papua is likely to spark more speculation
that the government wants a strong police chief to put down the
separatist movement in the province.
A rumor was also circulating that a veteran from the East
Timor integration movement, Eurico Gutteres, was now in Papua on
a mission. Gutteres was found guilty of human rights violations,
but he has appealed the 10-year sentence, and is free pending the
ruling from a higher court.
Aside from the four police officers, six other middle-ranking
officers were promoted on Monday.
List of Police Rotations:
Name Before Now
James D. Sitorus Director R&D HQ high officer
Tjuk Sugiarso HQ high officer Director R&D
E. Winarto East Kalimantan chief HQ high officer
Budi Utomo Papua chief East Kalimantan chief
Timbul Silaen Division chief Papua chief
Didi Kusumayadi South Sumatra chief HQ high officer
Supriadi Economic and Social staff Division Chief
Herman Suryadi S. HQ high officer South Sumatra chief
Heru Susanto East Java chief HQ high officer
M Firman Gani HQ high officer East Java chief