Soeharto, military still in harmony

Soeharto, military still in harmony

LHOKSEUMAWE, Aceh: Army Chief of Staff Gen. Hartono has denied
speculation on a rift between President Soeharto and the
military.

"The speculation is baseless because, structurally, the
President is the supreme commander of ABRI (Armed Forces)," he
said when visiting a local army detachment here on Tuesday.

"I would like to stress that such a rift is impossible," he
told Antara.

Recently, an Indonesian military analyst, Salim Said,
reportedly said in a seminar in the U.S. that theories on
conflicts between the military and the President were invalid and
erroneous.

"Every ABRI member who is not loyal to the commander deserves
severe punishment. In the front line, the punishment could be
death," Hartono said. (pan)