Tim Dodd, Jakarta – Mr Soeharto's son-in-law and former army general Mr Prabowo Subianto has returned to Indonesia openly for the first time since he left Indonesia in disgrace in 1998.

The former army power broker, who challenged General Wiranto over leadership of the armed forces in the turmoil after Mr Soeharto's resignation as president in May 1998, returned to Jakarta on Monday and met two senior army generals.

His return coincided with growing army dissatisfaction with the leadership of President Abdurrahman Wahid, who has resisted army pressure to use armed force to crush the independence movement in Aceh and impose martial law in Maluku, where hundreds have been killed in violence between Christians and Muslims since Christmas.

Mr Prabowo, who was one of the army's most ruthless hardliners, is blamed for creating turmoil on the streets in the last days of the Soeharto rule and pressuring his successor, Dr B.J. Habibie, to appoint him head of the armed forces.

On the night after his swearing-in, President Habibie stayed away from his house for fear that Mr Prabowo would surround it with Kostrad (Strategic Reserve) troops.

His reappearance is an ominous sign given his wide support among army hardliners and a split in the top ranks of the armed forces. The dominant hardline faction wants to keep the army's traditionally powerful political and economic role and favours tough and brutal action in Aceh and Maluku. The reform faction, which lost out in a shuffle of the top ranks last November, wants the army to become a more professional and disciplined force, divorced from its role in politics.

Adding to the instability are rumours that General Wiranto is about to be axed from his job as the senior Defence Minister.

During his two-day visit Mr Prabowo met the army chief-of-staff, Lieutenant-General Tyasno Sudarto, and the commander of Kostrad a strong Prabowo power base Lieutenant-General Djaja Suparman. The two are arguably the most influential officers in the present army structure, given that the new armed forces chief, Admiral Widodo, is from the navy.

One army source told the Media Indonesia newspaper that Mr Prabowo "was invited to help the reform process in the the TNI [armed forces]. Even though he is not active any more in the TNI, he is still a diligent contributor of opinion on an informal basis".

Since leaving Indonesia, Mr Prabowo has spent time in Jordan, where he has wide contacts with the royal family and the army. He is rumoured to have been in West Timor at the time of the independence ballot in East Timor, fuelling speculation that he was an orchestrator of the militia violence.

He is married to the former president's middle daughter, Siti Hediati Prabowo, known as Titiek.