Soehardjono Sastromihardjo

Soehardjono Sastromihardjo
Soehardjono in 2017
Ambassador of Indonesia to Kenya, DR Congo, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Uganda, the UNEP, and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
In office
25 February 2016 – 14 September 2020
PresidentJoko Widodo
Preceded bySunu Mahadi Soemarmo
Succeeded byMohamad Hery Saripudin
Ambassador of Indonesia to Cambodia
In office
20 January 2010 – 24 December 2013
PresidentSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Preceded byI Gede Ngurah Swajaya
Succeeded byPitono Purnomo
Personal details
Born (1955-07-29) July 29, 1955
SpouseTheresia M. Adam
Children1
Alma mater

Soehardjono Sastromihardjo (born 29 July 1955) is an Indonesian diplomat who last served as ambassador to Kenya, with concurrent accreditation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Uganda, the UNEP, and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. Previously, he served as ambassador to Cambodia and chief of foreign ministry's center for education and training.

Early life and education

Born on 29 July 1955,[1] Soehardjono studied English literature with a specialization on America at the University of Indonesia. He received his bachelor's degree in 1982 with a dissertation on American utopian communities.[2] Upon joining the foreign service, Soehardjono pursued a master's degree in development studies at the University of East Anglia, which he completed in 1994.[1]

Career

Soehardjono commenced his diplomatic career in 1984.[1] According to a later interview, he was drawn to the diplomatic field primarily because he enjoyed traveling, viewing it as the best way to visit new places, serve his country, and expose his family to different cultures.[3] He began his career as a vice consul in New York on 13 November 1987, serving until 1991.[4] After serving in New York, Soehardjono was stationed in Cambodia as an international polling station officer during the 1993 Cambodian general election conducted by the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC).[1] On one occasion, Soehardjono's UNTAC convoy was intercepted and he was held at gunpoint by Khmer Rouge forces in Kampong Cham. After he repeatedly shouted "Indonesia", the guerilla forces lowered their guns and retreated.[5]

After receiving his master's degree, Soehardjono was posted in Marseille, France, as a consul in the consulate general from 1995 to 1999. By 2002, he was appointed to the embassy in Washington, D.C., as chief of information section with the diplomatic rank of counsellor. In 2003, he was promoted to the rank of minister counsellor and became the chief of political affairs division, serving until 2005.[6] He returned to Indonesia to serve within the foreign department as the chief of ministry and mission administration bureau from 2006 to 2007, followed by a tenure as director of information and media from 11 May 2007[7] to 2010.[1] In 2009, Soehardjono oversaw the launching of the foreign department's new portal with a capacity ten times greater than its predecessor and costed the department one and a half billion rupiahs.[8][9]

On 20 January 2010, Soehardjono was installed as ambassador to Cambodia by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.[10] He presented his credentials to the King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni on 27 May 2010.[11] Early in his term, Soehardjono projected that the trade between Cambodia and Indonesia would grow by twenty percent per annum.[12] During the 2011 ASEAN Summit in Bali, Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen requested Soehardjono to encourage Indonesia to import rice from Cambodia instead of via other countries, establish direct flights between Indonesia and Cambodia to boost tourism, and for Telkom Indonesia to invest in CamGSM, a Cambodian telecom provider.[5] In the next year's ASEAN Summit held in Cambodia, Soehardjono oversaw the signing of agreement for Indonesia to purchase 100,000 metric tons of rice per year from Cambodia for the next five years.[13] Despite his successes in facilitating trade and peace, Soehardjono was criticized for his lack of attention regarding the presence of two elusive corruption case fugitives, Nunun Nurbaeti and Muhammad Nazaruddin, who fled to Cambodia to evade investigation by Indonesian authorities.[14][15] He announced his departure to Norodom Sihamoni on 20 December 2013.[16]

On 10 January 2014, Soehardjono was installed as the chief of the foreign ministry's education and training center.[17] In November 2014, he signed an agreement with his counterpart, the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, regarding cooperation in diplomatic training.[18]

On 6 August 2015, President Joko Widodo nominated Soehardjono as ambassador to Kenya, with concurrent accreditation to Democratic Republic of the Congo,[19] Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Uganda, the UNEP, and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, to the House of Representatives.[20] Upon being assessed by the House of Representative's first commission on 16 September 2015,[21] he was installed on 13 January 2016.[22][23]

Soehardjono presented his credentials to the President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta on 9 June 2016,[24] President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni on 23 November 2016,[25] President of Seychelles Danny Faure on 10 January 2017,[26] and the President of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on 22 January 2019.[27] As ambassador, Soehardjono prioritized improving international relations and faced challenges in convincing others of Indonesia's status as the world's largest archipelago and the largest economy in Southeast Asia.[3] During his tenure, the Uganda-Indonesia Friendship Association was established in February 2018.[28] He departed Nairobi on 21 August 2020.[29] For his service as ambassador in Nairobi, on 14 August 2023, Soehardjono received the Bintang Jasa (Star of Service), 2nd class.[30]

Upon his retirement from the diplomatic service, Soehardjono joined the Indonesian Council on World Affairs and became the deputy chairman of its executive council.[31]

Personal life

Sastromihardjo is married to Theresia M. Adam and has one daughter.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "CURRICULUM VITAE of SOEHARDJONO SASTROMIHARDJO" (PDF). Foreign Ministry of Indonesia. March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  2. ^ Sastromihardjo, Soehardjono (1983). Utopia yang berjatuhan : sebuah penelitian ringkas mengenai komuniti Mormon, Onieda, Brook Farm, Icaria. Universitas Indonesia.
  3. ^ a b c Njeru, Lilys (9 July 2020). "Sastromihardjo: Miracles happen when you keep working". Daily Nation. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  4. ^ Foreign Consular Offices in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1991. p. 33.
  5. ^ a b Bisara, Dion (27 August 2012). "Indonesia Bonding With Cambodia in Trade". The Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Dubes Sudjadnan Memulai Tugas di Washington". Antara News. 14 January 2006. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Pejabat-pejabat Baru Deplu" [New Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs]. Kompas. 12 May 2007. Archived from the original on 26 May 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  8. ^ Yusron (6 October 2009). "Portal Deplu Hadirkan Layanan Pengaduan "Online"" [Foreign Ministry Portal Introduces "Online" Complaint Service]. Liputan6.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  9. ^ Furqan (6 October 2009). "Deplu Luncurkan Portal Baru" [Foreign Ministry Launches New Portal]. Eramuslim (in Indonesian). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  10. ^ Agustiar, Dwi Riyanto (20 January 2010). "Presiden Lantik 19 Duta Besar dan Utusan PBB" [President Inaugurates 19 Ambassadors and UN Envoys]. Tempo.co (in Indonesian). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Credentials of Indonesia Ambassador". Norodom Sihamoni. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  12. ^ Say, Soeun (17 December 2010). "Indonesian trade up 25 percent, more to come". CAAI News Media.
  13. ^ "Indonesia Sepakat Beli Beras Kamboja" [Indonesia Agrees to Buy Cambodian Rice]. Investor Daily. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  14. ^ Batubara, Dahlan. "Dubes di Kamboja vs Dubes di Kolombia, Beda Citarasa Soal Si Burung Nazar" [Ambassador in Cambodia vs Ambassador in Colombia, Different Tastes on the Nazar Bird]. Mandailing Online (in Indonesian). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  15. ^ Fajar; Paraqbueq, Rusman (7 June 2011). "KPK Dinilai Lamban". Tempo. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  16. ^ "Royal Audience with the Indonesian Ambassador". Norodom Sihamoni. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Canberra, Australlia: Inauguration of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Echelon II Officials-Dedication is Foremost". Indonesia Government News. 10 January 2014. ProQuest 1492114870. Retrieved 18 August 2025 – via ProQuest.
  18. ^ Maulana, Victor (30 October 2014). "Gaet Belanda, Indonesia Latih Para Diplomat Muda" [Partnering with the Netherlands, Indonesia Trains Young Diplomats]. Sindonews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  19. ^ "Presiden Jokowi lantik 10 Dubes Luar Biasa dan Berkuasa Penuh". Merdeka.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  20. ^ Retaduari, Elza Astari (8 August 2015). "33 Nama Calon Dubes, DPR Serahkan kepada Pemerintah" [33 Names of Ambassador Candidates, DPR Hands Over to the Government]. detikNews (in Indonesian). Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  21. ^ Triyoga, Hardani (16 September 2015). "Komisi I Lanjutkan Uji 9 Calon Dubes dari Rusia Sampai Inggris" [Commission I Continues Fit and Proper Test for 9 Ambassador Candidates from Russia to the UK]. DetikNews (in Indonesian). Detikcom. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  22. ^ Edo Karensa (13 January 2016). "Politicians Loyal to Joko Dominate Latest Batch of Ambassadors". Jakarta Globe. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  23. ^ Parlina, Ina (26 February 2016). "New envoys to focus on economic ties". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  24. ^ "President Kenyatta receives 10 new envoys". Citizen Digital. 9 June 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  25. ^ Mutesasira, Hakim (25 November 2016). "Museveni receives 7 new envoys as Uganda seeks to repair foreign ties". The Local Uganda. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  26. ^ "New Indonesian ambassador keen to strengthen and explore new areas of cooperation". Seychelles Nation. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  27. ^ "Raiisul Wasaare Kheyre oo qaabilay Safiirrada Cusub ee Indonosia iyo Masar [Sawirro]" [Prime Minister Kheyre Receives New Ambassadors of Indonesia and Egypt [Photos]]. Radio Muqdisho (in Somali). 6 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  28. ^ "Dubes RI untuk Nairobi Resmikan Asosiasi Persahabatan Uganda-Indonesia". KBRI Nairobi. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  29. ^ KBRI Nairobi (26 October 2020). Perpisahan Dubes Soehardjono Sastromihardjo (Video) (in Indonesian).
  30. ^ Yanwardhana, Emir (14 August 2023). "Jokowi Resmi Anugerahkan Bintang Adipradana ke Iriana" [Jokowi Officially Awards the Adipradana Star to Iriana]. CNBC Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
  31. ^ Mahayana, Mellani Eka (22 April 2025). "ICWA Bahas Peran Strategis Indonesia Di Pasifik: Ekonomi Hingga Pembangunan" [ICWA Discusses Indonesia's Strategic Role in the Pacific: Economy to Development]. RM.ID. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
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