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 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 was intercepted held at gunpoint by Khmer Rouge forces while he was in an UNTAC convoy 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. with 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 2007 to 2010.[1] In 2009,Soehardjono oversaw the launching of the foreign department's new portal,www.deplu.go.id,with a capacity ten times greater than its predecessor and costed the department one and a half billion rupiahs.[7][8]
On 20 January 2010,Soehardjono was installed as ambassador to Cambodia by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.[9] He presented his credentials to the King of CambodiaNorodom Sihamoni on 27 May 2010.[10] Early in his term,Soehardjono projected that the trade between Cambodia and Indonesia would grow by twenty percent per annum.[11] During the 2011 ASEAN Summit in Bali,Prime Minister of CambodiaHun 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.[12] 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.[13][14] He announced his departure to Norodom Sihamoni on 20 December 2013.[15]
On 10 January 2014,Soehardjono was installed as the chief of the foreign ministry's education and training center.[16] In November 2014,he signed an agreement with his counterpart,the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael,regarding cooperation in diplomatic training.[17]
Soehardjono Sastromihardjo with President of Seychelles Danny Faure at the presentation of his credentials.
Upon his retirement from the diplomatic service,Soehardjono joined the Indonesian Council on World Affairs and became the deputy chairman of its executive council.[30]
Personal life
Sastromihardjo is married to Theresia M. Adam and has one daughter.[3]
↑ Furqan (6 October 2009). "Deplu Luncurkan Portal Baru"[Foreign Ministry Launches New Portal]. Eramuslim (in Indonesian). Retrieved 22 October 2025.
↑ 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.
↑ 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.
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