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)