Jakarta – The Indonesian military, in a major reform move, announced Tuesday that it had told thousands of officers holding positions in the civil service and legislatures either to leave the armed forces or leave their civilian posts.

Under the ruling, announced at a retirement ceremony here by Armed Forces chief General Wiranto, 110 officers including Information Minister Lieutenant General Yunus Yosfiah had opted for retirement.

Since the resignation of president Suharto, himself a former army general, amid mass protests and riots last year, reformists have been clamoring for the military to quit politics and return to barracks.

Wiranto said the military had already given 6,002 officers serving in civilian posts the option of retiring, changing their status to civil servants or quitting their civilian posts and returning to the military.

"As you have witnessed today, several high-and middle-ranking officers have opted to let go of their status as members of the military to devote themselves to functions outside security," Wiranto told reporters.

The 110 retirees were among the first group of 169 officers serving in the bureaucracy who have already been processed. Of them, 27 had chosen to change their status to civil servants and 32 chose to return to military duty.

He said the cases of only 3,016 officers had been processed as the 2,986 others were currently MPs in provincial and regional legislatures.

Of the 3,016 officers, only 520 chose to remain in the military, 593 chose to switch their status to civil servants, 1,393 officers opted for retirement, and 510 others have yet to make up their minds, he said.

"For the 510, they have up to three months to make a decision. But if up till then they still have not chosen, then the choice lies in the hands of the military," Wiranto added.

Wiranto said current Transmigration Minister, Lieutenant General Hendropriyono, an active general, has chosen to remain in the military. Attorney General, Lieutenant General Andi Ghalib, and Jakarta Governor, Lieutenant General Sutiyoso, have chosen to retire and keep their civilian posts.

Their cases however have yet to be processed, as Ghalib was currently abroad on an investigation into the wealth of Suharto. Hendropriyono's return to the military depends on the president's decision on when to let him go.

The effort to rejuvenate the officers corps was part of a bid by the military to distance itself from its extensive involvement in social and political affairs, which flourished during Suharto's 32-year rule.

"Following the rolling demands for reforms, the military has carried out several concrete steps for internal reforms," Wiranto said.

He listed some of the fourteen major reforms since last year as the separation of the police force from the military, the reduction of the number of military seats in the lower house to 38 from 75, and the decision to distance itself from the ruling Golkar party.