New Indonesia defence chief harks back to dictator's rule

Indonesia's Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin attends the swearing-in ceremony of the ministers of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's cabinet at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on October 21, 2024. - Photo: AFP

JAKARTA: When riots broke out in Indonesia's capital in 1998 leading to dictator Suharto's downfall, activists were detained, women raped, and stores owned by ethnic Chinese ransacked in unrest many say was stoked by the army.

The military figure in charge of Jakarta's security at the time was last week sworn in as the new defence minister of the world's fourth-most populous nation.