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.