Sugiono gets promotion in major reshuffle

JAKARTA (JP): The Armed Forces (ABRI) announced a massive reshuffle on Monday, with Deputy Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Sugiono being promoted to the post of ABRI Chief of General Affairs, replacing Lt. Gen. Fachrul Razi.

Fachrul becomes secretary-general to the Ministry of Defense and Security, replacing Lt. Gen. (ret) Soeyono, who has reached the mandatory age of retirement, according to ABRI spokesman Maj. Gen. Syamsul Ma'arif.

Sugiono's post as Deputy Army Chief of Staff is now held by Commander of Armed Forces Staff and Command School, Lt. Gen. Johny Lumintang. The Assistant for General Planning to the Armed Forces Commander, Maj. Gen. Agus Wijaya, will fill the post left vacant by Johny.

Chief of the Army Staff and Command School, Maj. Gen. Agus Wirahadikusumah, now takes up Wijaya's former post.

Syamsul told a press conference at the Armed Forces' Merdeka Barat headquarters in Central Jakarta that the reshuffle affected 100 high-ranking officials in the Army, Navy, Air Force and National Police.

Syamsul dismissed speculation that the reshuffle was a move to rid ABRI of "Muslim elements" and said it was a regular change in tours of duty.

"It's just a regular change in tours of duty within ABRI," Syamsul said.

The reshuffle also included the replacement of the Chief of the Intelligence Agency (BIA) Maj. Gen. Zacky Anwar Makarim by Maj. Gen. Tyasno Sudarto, the outgoing Chief of the Central Java Military Command. Tyasno will be replaced by his deputy, Brig. Gen. Bibit Waluyo, while Zacky will become a senior officer at the Armed Forces headquarters.

Also promoted were Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu, who will become the new East Java Military Commander, replacing Maj. Gen. Djoko Subroto. Djoko will become the Army's Inspector-general, replacing Maj. Gen. Nurdin Yusuf, who becomes a senior officer at the Army headquarters.

Maj. Gen. Sang Nyoman Suwisma, who was the chief of the Tanjung Pura Military Command overseeing the four provinces of Kalimantan, has been given the post left vacant by Ryamizard. Suwisma will be replaced by his deputy, Brig. Gen. Zainura M.

Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Abdul Rachman Gaffar, a senior officer at the Army headquarters, was promoted to lead the Bukit Barisan Military Command which oversees Aceh, Riau, North and West Sumatra. He replaced Maj. Gen. Ismed Yuzairi, who will become the new Chief of the Army's Center for Territorial Affairs. (imn)