Jakarta – Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Nurfaizi and East Java Police Chief Inspector General Dai Bachtiar were among 31 middle and high ranking officers who lost their positions in a reshuffle yesterday.

Nurfaizi will soon hold the less strategic position of head of the Police Education and Training Institute. Bachtiar will become chief of the Police Academy in the Central Java capital of Semarang.

National Police spokesman Brigadier General Saleh Saaf denied the reshuffle was politically motivated. He said it was merely a routine process of promotions and transfers conducted in the best interests of the National Police. This reshuffle aims to improve the performance of the police, he said.

Nurfaizi is replaced by Brigadier General Mulyono Sulaeman, former deputy logistics assistant to the National Police chief. Rumors had been circulating since early September that Nurfaizi would be sacked because the government was not happy with his performance, but National Police headquarters always denied the rumors.

The latest unsubstantiated rumor is that Nurfaizis dismissal is linked to Saturday's arrest of President Abdurrahman Wahids former masseur Suwondo. The masseur is the main suspect in the embezzlement of Rp35 billion (US$3.9 million) from an employees foundation of the National Logistics Agency.

Wahid on September 27 sacked General Rusdihardjo as National Police chief because he had refused an order to arrest ex-president Soehartos youngest son Hutomo Tommy Mandala Putra following a deadly bomb blast at the Jakarta Stock Exchange.

Rusdihardjo had also been under fire for failing to resolve other bombing cases throughout the country, as well as the September 3 killings of three staff of the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in West Timor.

A new post was created during yesterdays reshuffle that of National Police deputy chief. The job goes to Inspector General Panji Atmasudirta, former planning affairs assistant to the National Police chief. Panjis old position will be filled by Inspector General James Daniel Sitorus.

The new East Java Police chief will be former North Sumatra Police chief Brigadier General Sutanto. Inspector General Alihamafiah, former head of the Police Education and Training Institute, will be made head of the Police Staff College.

In other rotations, South Sumatra Police Chief Brigadier General Togar Sianipar will be made East Kalimantan Police chief, replacing Brigadier General Bahrum Kasman. Togars old position will be filled by Brigadier General Syahroedin, former chief of the Anti-Riot Police.

Former Director of the Police Detective Unit on Corruption Affairs Brigadier General Timbul Silaen was named director of the Police Detective Unit on Narcotic Affairs.