Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Lieutenant General (Ret.)
Order:27th
Office:List of ministers of defense (Indonesia)Minister of Defense
Term Start:21 October 2024
President:Prabowo Subianto
Predecessor:Prabowo Subianto
Order1:7th
Office1:Ministry of Defense (Indonesia)Deputy Minister of Defense
Term Start1:6 January 2010
Term End1:20 October 2014
President1:Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Minister1:Purnomo Yusgiantoro
Predecessor1:Moersjid (1996)
Successor1:Sakti Wahyu Trenggono
Office2:Commander of Kodam Jaya
Term Start2:1997
Term End2:1998
President2:Suharto
Predecessor2:Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso
Successor2:Maj. Gen.
Birth Date:30 October 1952
Birth Place:Makassar, Indonesia
Party:Independent
Spouse:Etty Sudiyati
Allegiance:Indonesia
Branch:Indonesian Army
Serviceyears:1974–2010
Rank:Lieutenant general
Unit:Kopassus
Commands:Kodam Jayakarta

Lieutenant General (Ret.) 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]

Notes and References

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