New military chief for northern Sumatra

New military chief for northern Sumatra

MEDAN (JP): Army Chief Gen. Subagyo Hadisiswoyo installed Maj.
Gen. Ismed Yuzairi yesterday as new commander of the Bukit
Barisan Military Command overseeing Aceh, North Sumatra, West
Sumatra and Riau.

Ismed replaced Maj. Gen. Rizal Nurdin, who has been nominated
for the North Sumatra governorship, currently under Let. Gen.
(ret.) Radja Inal Siregar.

Subagyo, speaking in the ceremony at the command's
headquarters here, reminded the unit to maintain its alertness to
problems with the potential to disrupt stability in the region.

"All military personnel in the region are expected to be able
to detect any social problems that could disrupt stability in the
region," he said.

Also attending the ceremony were outgoing governor Radja Inal
Siregar, Army Inspector General Maj. Gen. Nurdin Yusuf, Maj. Gen.
Yudomo, assistant to the Army chief on intelligence affairs, and
Chief of the Army's special force (Kopassus), Maj. Gen. Muchdi
P.R.

Ismed promised to work hard to meet the expectations placed on
him.

Born in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, in 1949, Ismed graduated
from the Army Academy in 1971. Before assuming his new post, he
spent much of his career in the Army Strategic Reserve Command
(Kostrad). He was commander of a Kostrad infantry brigade
battalion in 1987 and its former chief of staff.

Rizal graduated from the Military Academy in 1971. He is
former chief of Kostrad's Division I, former chief of a Kostrad
infantry brigade in Jember, East Java, and former assistant to
the chief of staff of the Sriwijaya Military Command in
Palembang, South Sumatra.

He has won support from the Armed Forces, Golkar and
Indonesian Democratic Party factions in the North Sumatra
provincial legislative council for his nomination to the
leadership of the province. Siregar's term of office will end
this June. (21/rms)