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Lt. Gen. Herman Asaribab, Papua-born Army deputy chief of staff, dies in Jakarta
His body will be taken back to Jayapura, Papua, where he is to be buried at the Kesuma Trikora Waena heroes cemetery.
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Then-chief of staff of the Cendrawasih/XVII Military Command, Brig.Gen. Herman Asaribab, takes part in a discussion on public order and security ahead of the 2018 Papua gubernatorial election on Aug. 25. (JP/Nethy Dharma Somba)
T
he Indonesian Army’s (TNI AD) deputy chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herman Asaribab, passed away on Monday while receiving treatment at the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital (RSPAD) in Central Jakarta. He was 56.
Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Nefra Firdaus confirmed the death of the Papuan-born general the same day.
“He died of an illness at the RSPAD at 1.40 p.m.,” Nefra said as quoted by tribunnews.com.
His cause of death has yet to be confirmed, particularly whether it was due to COVID-19.
Nefra said Herman’s body is to be transported back to Jayapura, Papua, where he is to be buried at the Kesuma Trikora Waena heroes cemetery on Wednesday.
Herman had only begun serving as the Army’s deputy chief of staff on Nov. 18, following an Indonesian Military Commander decree on staff rotation. Before his most recent promotion, Herman served as commander of the XVII/Cendrawasih Military Command in Papua.
He was among four senior native Papuans in the military promoted last year under what some observers would define as extraordinary circumstances. A military spokesman at the time said Herman's promotion was part of a cultural approach to resolve the 2019 Papuan protests.
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And while his promotion to deputy chief of staff had already been confirmed by Indonesian Military Commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto on Dec. 8, alongside 46 other Indonesian military personnel, Herman had yet to be formally inaugurated to his position prior to his death.
He was expected to replace Lt. Gen. M. Fachruddin, who recently retired.
Born in Jayapura on June 10, 1964, Herman got his military training at the Indonesian Army Academy in Magelang, Central Java, graduating in 1988.
He rose through the ranks in the Army, securing posts in Australia and the Philippines before becoming chief of staff of the Cendrawasih Military Command, where he served from Sept. 10, 2015, to Dec. 4, 2017.
Herman was then transferred to the headquarters to fill the position of special staffer to the Indonesian Military Commander in 2017-2018, and then as a special staffer to the Indonesian Army Chief of Staff in 2018-2019.
He was then promoted as commander of the XII/Tanjungpura Military Command, where he was responsible for the defense of West and Central Kalimantan. He served there from March 19 to Aug. 14, 2019.
He was then transferred back to Papua to lead the Cendrawasih Military Command.
The regional military command has expressed its condolences for the passing of its former commander.
“Let us pray that all of his good deeds and prayers are accepted and his faults pardoned by God Almighty. Let us also pray that the families of the deceased are granted fortitude and strength in these times,” Cendrawasih Military Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Arm. Reza Nur Patria said on Monday.
Papua regional secretary Doren Wakerkwa requested that Papuans fly the half-masted flag in honor of the deceased general, Antara news agency reported.(ami)
