Pastika to head narcotics agency
Pastika to head narcotics agency
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Made Mangku Pastika will soon take
over the top job at the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), which
has been held by Gen. Sutanto despite his appointment as National
Police chief in July.
Pastika, who Time magazine named the Asian newsmaker of the
year for his role in uncovering the culprits responsible for the
Bali bombings in 2002, refused to confirm the report.
But he conceded that his term as Bali Police chief would end
in the near future. He also confirmed reports that he had been
summoned by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday and
met with Sutanto that day in Jakarta.
"I have not received an order for a new assignment. How can I
confirm it if it turns out to be wrong," Pastika told Antara in
Denpasar.
Pastika's move to the BNN would mean a promotion, as the
agency's top post is held by a commissioner general. The post
could be a stepping stone to the National Police chief post, as
evident in the case of Sutanto and his predecessor Gen. Da'i
Bachtiar, who headed the BNN before their appointment as chief of
police.
A source said Pastika would hand over his current post to
deputy National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Soenarko Danu
Ardanto.
"I've heard that news, but let's wait for the official
announcement," said Pastika.
The source also said the next reshuffle in the National Police
should have taken place in October, but was delayed following the
Oct. 1 bomb attacks on three Bali restaurants, which killed 23
people, including the three suicide bombers. The reshuffle has
been rescheduled for Dec. 19, the source said.
A 1974 Police Academy graduate, Pastika rose to fame when he
led the investigation into the first terror attack on Bali in
2002, which claimed 202 lives, mostly holiday makers.
It was Pastika who was behind the establishment of the
antiterror squad, now is known as Detachment 88. The squad has
hunted down and arrested terrorist suspects involved in four
major bomb attacks that have rocked the country since 2002. It
also shot dead Malaysian fugitive Azahari bin Husin during a raid
on Nov. 9 in the East Java district of Batu, Malang.