JAKARTA Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid dumped his army and navy chiefs on Monday in a widely expected move as he tries to bring his unruly military to heel.
Wahid replaced army commander General Tyasno Sudarto with his deputy, General Endriartono Sutarto. Navy chief Admiral Achmad Sutjipto made way for his deputy, Admiral Indroko Sastrowiryono.
The promoted officers had their ranks raised to full general and admiral, respectively, just before the announcement.
"I need to emphasize that we have an important task, which is to increase the professionalism of TNI (the military) and to defend the security and integrity of the nation," Wahid said in a speech, without saying why he had replaced the two.
"But that doesn't mean we have to revive militarism." (Reuter)