TNI to announce reshuffle in three days: Endriartono

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Military (TNI) headquarters is expected to announce a reshuffle within the next three days, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said on Thursday.

He, however, dismissed speculation that the reshuffle would be major, saying that it would only relate to routine staff appointments, particularly at Army headquarters.

"The Army has finalized its reshuffle plan. We will only replace the post of Chief of the Army Staff and Command School (Seskoad) which has been vacant for almost a month after Pak (Maj. Gen.) Bibit Waluyo was appointed as Chief of the Jakarta Military Command," Endriartono told reporters after attending the inauguration ceremony of the new National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) Governor Ermaya Suradinata.

Endriartono said that Maj. Gen. Suadi Atma, currently deputy chief of the National Military Academy, will be appointed as the new Seskoad chief.

Suadi is a 1970 graduate of the military academy and former chief of the Sriwijaya Regional Military Command, which oversees the provinces of Jambi, Bengkulu, South Sumatera and Lampung.

"None of the regional military commanders will be replaced, including Pattimura Regional Military Commander Brig. Gen. I Made Yasa," Endriartono said.

Made Yasa has been in hot water after the Maluku Muslim community asked him to resign following the Hotel Wijaya II incident in Ambon's capital Maluku earlier this month.

Endriartono said the Army has yet to replace Chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu and Chief of Army's Special Force (Kopassus) Maj. Gen. Amirul Isnaeni.

During the past two weeks, rumors have been rife that President Abdurrahman Wahid had requested the replacement of Endriartono, Ryamizard and Amirul for disobeying presidential orders.

A source at TNI headquarters, however, told The Jakarta Post that there will be a major reshuffle affecting senior officers who were military academy graduates of the late 1960s.

"There will be no further appointments for senior military officers who have reached the mandatory retirement age of 55 years," the source said. (02)