Army Chief Denies TNI Demolished Primary School in NTT for Kopdes Merah Putih

Army Chief of Staff (KSAD) General Maruli Simanjuntak has stressed that no state primary school building in Wolomoni, Ende, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), is to be demolished by the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) for the construction of a Kopdes Merah Putih (KDMP) cooperative. Maruli emphasised that it is impossible for the TNI to carry out such extreme measures. “Well, there is a lot of news that we must clarify; it seems impossible that something so extreme would happen, that a school would be abolished. So, matters like this need to be clarified in detail,” Maruli said at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (10/6/2026).

Maruli said it is not normal for any party to disband a school that is already registered with the Education and Culture Office. He stated his party would check the report. “But in my opinion, it is not normal if someone disbands a school when the school is certainly already registered with the education office. We will try to check it,” he said.

Maruli said news often spreads just on social media. He denied any school eviction for the Kopdes Merah Putih. “There isn’t any; they’re just busy on media sometimes, going on about this and that. But realistically, there couldn’t possibly be a school registered with the education office that is then abolished. Wow, they could face legal action for this,” he said.

TNI Information Centre Head Brigadier General Muhammad Nas previously provided clarification regarding the widespread news that a state primary school in Ende, NTT, was to be demolished for the construction of a Kopdes Merah Putih. He dismissed the report. This was conveyed during a media gathering at TNI Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Tuesday (9/6). “As it turns out, we are not demolishing the school. It is not being placed to replace the school, no. The cooperative is being built behind the school. The access road was inadequate, so it passes by the school,” he said.

Nas added that while heavy equipment was manoeuvring, it struck a school pillar. The pillar was then temporarily shifted to be repaired. “Indeed, earlier, when the heavy equipment hit a branch of someone’s durian tree, said to be as big as a big toe, this woman was angrily shouting. That moment was clipped, the woman shouting, with heavy equipment there,” he explained.