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Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin

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Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin
Official portrait, 2024
27th Minister of Defense
Assumed office
21 October 2024
PresidentPrabowo Subianto
DeputyDonny Ermawan [id]
Preceded byPrabowo Subianto
7th Deputy Minister of Defense
In office
6 January 2010 – 20 October 2014
PresidentSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono
MinisterPurnomo Yusgiantoro
Preceded byMoersjid (1996)
Succeeded bySakti Wahyu Trenggono
Commander of Kodam Jaya
In office
1997–1998
PresidentSuharto
Preceded byMaj. Gen. Sutiyoso
Succeeded byMaj. Gen. Djaja Suparman [id]
Personal details
Born (1952-10-30) 30 October 1952 (age 72)
Makassar, Indonesia
Political partyIndependent
SpouseEtty Sudiyati
Alma materIndonesian Military Academy
Occupation
  • Politician
  • army officer
Military service
AllegianceIndonesia
Branch/serviceIndonesian Army
Years of service1974–2010
RankLieutenant general
UnitKopassus
CommandsKodam Jayakarta
Battles/wars

Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (born 30 October 1952) is an Indonesian military officer and politician serving as the 27th minister of defense since 2024.[1] From 2010 to 2014, he served as deputy minister of defense.[2] He once was Suharto's bodyguard and one of his most loyal confidant until his downfall and also an old friend of Indonesia's current president Prabowo Subianto, who was his classmate at a military academy.[3]

Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin served in the Indonesian military and was a member of the Kopassus unit. He was accused of human rights abuses throughout his military career. He participated in the Indonesian invasion of East Timor and was later reported to be present at the Santa Cruz massacre in 1991, and the 1999 East Timorese crisis. He was also accused of involvement over the 1997–98 activists kidnappings in Indonesia and the May 1998 riots in Jakarta, where he was the city's military commander at the time. He was cleared by Indonesian authorities over the riots and was not formally charged in East Timor or the kidnappings, although he was dismissed from the military over the latter issue. In 2009, he was denied a visa by the United States when he was an adviser to then-president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Prabowo reveals names of ministers in "Red and White Cabinet"". Antara. 20 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Profil Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin: Ajudan Soeharto Kini Menteri Pertahanan" (in Indonesian). CNBC Indonesia. 21 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b "New Indonesia defence chief harks back to dictator's rule". France 24. 30 October 2024.